American Airlines flight avoids narrow mountain with ‘rapid climb’

An American Airlines flight had to “perform an accelerated climb” to avoid a mountain during a routine departure from Hawaii on Wednesday.

The plane had just departed from Honolulu International Airport and was on its way to Los Angeles International Airport.

Air traffic control can be heard telling the pilot to “turn right and accelerate your climb through terrain” on in-flight audio provided by LIVEATC.NET.

According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, “an air traffic controller directed American Airlines Flight 298 to perform an accelerated climb after the crew failed to make the assigned turn while departing from Honolulu International Airport.”

The FAA’s statement continued: “The controller’s actions ensured that the aircraft remained safe over nearby terrain.”

“The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority,” American Airlines said in a statement.

“During 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. There was no Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) warning as there were no terrain problems. clearance based on the plane’s trajectory,” the statement continued.

The incident took place around 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

The FAA will continue to investigate the matter.