HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – An American Airlines flight apparently came dangerously close to the Koolau mountain range earlier this week.
Aircraft tracker FlightAware shows Flight 298 departed from Honolulu for Los Angeles on Wednesday just after 12:30 a.m.
The flight path was straight, but aviation experts said the route should take a hard right turn after takeoff.
Audio released of an air traffic controller can be heard instructing the pilot to avoid the mountains: “Number 298 turn right, expedite your climb through terrain and then turn right through 120.”
“Expedite your climb” is a technical way of saying hurry and gain altitude.
Ultimately, the flight arrived in Los Angeles, seven hours later without incident.
HNN has reached out to American Airlines for comment and are awaiting a response.