American Airlines flight performs ‘expedited climb’ to dodge mountain in Hawaii, FAA says

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating after a recent American Airlines flight dodged a nearby mountain while leaving from Hawaii.

American Airlines Flight 298, which departed from Honolulu International Airport, was i nstructed by an air traffic controller to execute an “expedited climb” after the flight crew did not make an assigned turn, according to the agency.

The incident happened at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday as the flight was headed to Los Angeles.

In a statement sent to USA TODAY, an American Airlines spokesperson said the flight crew requested to turn right during the ascension out of Honolulu and received clearance.

The spokesperson said “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.”

The EGPWS alerts flight crew about nearby terrain to avoid any potential collision, according to Honeywell Aerospace Technologies.

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