American Airlines Flight Performs 'Expedited Climb' to Avoid Hawaii Mountain: Reports

Mar. 15, 2025

An American Airlines Airbus A321 departs Los Angeles International Airport.Photo:Kevin Carter/Getty

Kevin Carter/Getty

The alleged incident happened at around 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Nov. 13 after the plane left Honolulu International Airport to embark on a journey to Los Angeles International Airport.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

A bird’s eye view of the Honolulu International Airport.Getty

Getty

In a statement, American Airlines told ABC News that “The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority.”

“During the climb out of Honolulu on November 13, the crew of American Airlines flight 298 requested and received right-turn clearance and complied with controller instructions,” the spokesperson continued.

“There was no Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) alert as there were no issues with terrain clearance based on the trajectory of the aircraft.”

PEOPLE has contacted the FAA and American Airlines for further comment.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

American Airlines planes at LaGuardia Airport in Queens.CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty

The news comes aftertwo passengers were injuredafter a United flight had to suddenly slow its descent to avoid a potential collision with another aircraft back in September.

“United Airlines Flight 2428 responded to an onboard alert which occurred around 12:45 p.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 19 in Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center Airspace that another aircraft was in the vicinity. The United flight landed safely at San Francisco International Airport,” the FAA said in a preliminary statement shared with PEOPLE. “There was no loss of safe separation.”

According toCNN, United Flight 2428 responded to a traffic collision avoidance system resolution advisory alert, a serious warning for pilots. This resulted in one of the passengers being seriously injured while the other sustained minor injuries.

On Sept. 10, two planes also collided at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at around 10:07 a.m.

Delta Flight 295 bound for Tokyo was “taxiing out” at the time when it accidentally “made contact with the tail of” Endeavor Air 5526, Delta confirmed to PEOPLE in astatementat the time.

The coming together nearly sliced off the tail of the much smaller Endeavor aircraft, while the DeltaA350 sustained a damaged wing.

Speaking at the time, CBS senior transportation correspondentChris Van Cleavesaid the collision was like “a semi truck and a small sedan coming together for a fender bender.”

“In this case, it appears the wing tip of the A350 essentially severed the tail or the stabilizer on the back for the plane,” he added.

source: people.com