The airplane performed a spectacular “surfing” maneuver just 228 meters above the ocean surface.
The New York Post reports that a miscommunication between two pilots led to a United Airlines passenger plane descending perilously close to the ocean surface (only 228 meters) shortly after taking off from Hawaii in December 2022, according to sources from the U.S. federal investigative agency.
The incident was investigated for several months before authorities announced the cause.
The miscommunication between the pilots led to a United Airlines aircraft descending towards the ocean surface shortly after takeoff from a Hawaiian island.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated in a final report that the crew lost control of the aircraft’s vertical direction, flight speed, and nose orientation due to the confusion between the captain and the first officer.
Specifically, after a normal takeoff amidst heavy rain from Kahului Airport on Maui, the captain instructed the first officer to reset the flaps, but the first officer misheard the signal “15” instead of “5.”
Immediately afterward, the pilots realized the plane was descending at an alarming speed.
Simulation diagram of the aircraft’s trajectory.
“At that moment, I knew the captain was struggling to control the aircraft’s speed… I couldn’t be sure what issue the captain was addressing,” the first officer told investigators.
The aircraft’s nose continued to dive down. The first officer looked through the windshield and noticed the plane was descending through layers of clouds.
The 55-year-old captain had nearly 20,000 flight hours, while the first officer had 5,300 flight hours.
“I immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation,” he said. “I announced, ‘Pull up, pull up, pull up, pull up’ many times.” The aircraft’s ground proximity warning system also sounded an alarm.
According to the NTSB, from an altitude of over 670 meters, the Boeing 777 descended more than 427 meters towards the Pacific Ocean before the pilots managed to regain control. The aircraft performed a spectacular “surfing” maneuver just 228 meters above the ocean surface.
The captain stated that he decided to continue the flight to San Francisco after the flight attendant reported that “everyone was fine” and there was no apparent damage to the aircraft. At that time, there were a total of 271 passengers and 10 crew members on board.
From an altitude of over 670 meters, the Boeing 777 descended more than 427 meters towards the Pacific Ocean.
The 55-year-old captain had nearly 20,000 flight hours, while the first officer had 5,300 flight hours.
Both are still flying for United Airlines, the airline confirmed.
United Airlines spokesperson Joshua Freed stated after the unusual incident: “Nothing is more important than the safety of our crew and passengers. That is why we are taking lessons from this flight to inform the training of all United Airlines pilots.”
“Our pilots proactively reported this incident, and United Airlines is fully cooperating with the independent investigation by authorities to enhance safety across the industry.”
Kahului Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the agency that regulates airlines, stated earlier this year that United Airlines pilots fully reported the incident. The FAA also indicated that they reviewed the situation and “took appropriate action.”
In fact, the incident had garnered little public attention until an aviation publication, The Air Current, reported on the analysis of the data collected from the aircraft.
The NTSB was even unaware of the incident for two months while information from the black box was being recorded.
On the same day as the United Airlines incident, a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix encountered severe turbulence near Honolulu, injuring 36 people, including 11 seriously. At that time, the National Weather Service had issued warnings of thunderstorms and unstable air in the area.
