Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News / Getty Images
An American Airlines plane came close to crashing into a mountain after taking off from Honolulu International Airport early Wednesday (November 13) morning.
American Airlines Flight 298 took off around 1 a.m. en route to Los Angeles, but the pilot "did not make the assigned turn," the Federal Aviation Administration explained in a statement to ABC News.
That put the plane on a collision course with a nearby mountain. Luckily, air traffic controllers noticed the error and ordered the pilot to "perform an expedited climb" to avoid hitting the mountain.
"The controller's actions ensured the aircraft remained safely above nearby terrain," the FAA's statement continued.
American Airlines said the aircraft was never in danger, noting that the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System did not alert the pilots to any issues.
"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. 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 airline said in a statement.
According to CNN, the plane cleared the mountains by about 1,500 feet.