The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating after an Airbus A321neo operated by American Airlines performed an unusual takeoff path near Honolulu on Wednesday. Rather than making an immediate right turn upon departure, the crew missed instructions and flew the aircraft straight out east.
Honolulu’s north and east perimeters sit below mountainous terrain with elevations over 3,000 feet. Air Traffic Control (ATC) subsequently intervened and instructed the crew to expedite their climb to avoid the mountain range.
The flight involved was AA298, which originated at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and was bound for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Data from Flightradar24 shows that the aircraft, registered as N418AN, pushed back from gate C4 at 00:35 on Wednesday, which was 50 minutes past its scheduled departure time of 23:45 on Tuesday. It is unclear why the flight was delayed.
After taxiing for 14 minutes, the aircraft took off at 00:49 from Runway 8L. The runway is not as commonly utilized for eastbound departures compared to Runway 8R, which is known as Honolulu's Reef Runway. Two minutes after takeoff, flight data indicates the plane was at 2,900 feet and traveling north of downtown Honolulu at a speed of 238 knots. It continued east, passing just to the south of Kōnāhuanui mountain peak, which has an elevation of 3,150 feet.
At 00:52, just three minutes after takeoff, the aircraft had reached an altitude of 5,300 feet and was climbing rapidly. It subsequently made a right turn and flew southwest of Puʻu OʻKona, which stands at roughly 2,350 feet.
The FAA confirmed the incident with Simple Flying on Thursday. In a statement, the agency said the aircraft “remained safely above nearby terrain,” but cited the flight crew for failing to follow ATC instructions.
“An air traffic controller instructed American Airlines Flight 298 to perform an expedited climb after the crew did not make the assigned turn while departing from Honolulu International Airport. The controller’s actions ensured the aircraft remained safely above nearby terrain. The Airbus A321neo was flying to Los Angeles International Airport. The FAA is investigating the event, which occurred around 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Nov. 13.”
According to Hawaii’s Department of Transportation, the standard departure procedure from Runway 8L instructs pilots to maintain their runway heading to Hawaii 92, also known as Nimitz Highway. The heading instruction prompts the aircraft to immediately bank right upon takeoff, fly parallel to the highway, and climb out over the center of Honolulu Harbor. Once the aircraft is “one mile due south of Diamond Head,” pilots are then prompted to “turn left and resume own navigation.”
Despite ATC instructing the pilots to expedite their climb to keep the aircraft away from the terrain, its proximity to the mountain range is being speculated as dangerous nonetheless.
One Airliners.net forum user, believed to be a Hawaiian Airlines A321neo pilot, commented that if AA298 “had lost an engine there isn’t a chance” the flight “would have cleared those mountains.” The self-claimed pilot also acknowledged the unusual flight path, but noted the aircraft’s ground proximity warning system (GPWS) would have notified the crew if they came too close to the terrain.
“I have never and mean never not got a PDC (Pre-Departure Clearance) not saying right turn 155, climb 5000 when departing HNL,” they explained. “ATC does not vector you till after that initial turn, it's in your departure clearance. Yes, the GPWS would advise you but they shouldn't be there in the first place.”
Simple Flying contacted American on Thursday to learn more details about the incident, but the carrier did not respond. AA298 continued to Los Angeles without incident and landed safely just after 07:30.
