A United Airlines flight departing Hawaii for California in December plunged more than 1,000 feet right after takeoff — nearly into the Pacific Ocean, according to flight data.
Just 71 seconds into the Dec. 18 flight from Kahului Airport in Maui that was bound for San Francisco International Airport, the Boeing 777 jet, Flight 1722, suddenly began a steep descent toward the ocean, the data show.
In less than 20 seconds, the plane went from 2,200 feet to 775 feet above the water, according to flight data.
The jet was hurtling toward the water at 8,600 feet per minute, according to the Air Current, an online aviation publication.
The plane stabilized and went back to ascending before completing the trip to San Francisco.
The flight crew reported what occurred to the Federal Aviation Administration.
While United Airlines did not say what the issue was, a spokesperson told CNN that there was nothing wrong with the plane and that the pilots received “additional training” after the incident.
The near crash was first reported by the Air Current on Sunday.
Noah Goldberg
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