A United 777 made a scary plunge toward the
ocean shortly after takeoff
By Gregory Wallace and David Williams CNN
Updated 3:32 PM EST, Mon February 13, 2023
A pilot
walks by United Airlines planes as they sit parked at gates at San Francisco
International Airport on April 12, 2020, in San Francisco.
Justin
Sullivan/Getty Images/FILE
CNN —
A United Airlines 777 leaving Hawaii in
December plunged toward the ocean for 21 seconds shortly after takeoff and came
within 800 feet of sea level, flight tracking data show.
Neither United nor the FAA indicated anyone
was injured on United Flight 1722 on December 18.
The plunge occurred a little over a minute
after takeoff, the data show.
The plane lost more than half its altitude
and came within 775 feet of sea level, according to the data from FlightRadar24.
The plane gained speed as it dropped 1,425
feet from 2,200 feet before regaining its climb out of Kahului on the island of
Maui.
‘Felt like …
a roller coaster’
Rod Williams II and his family were sitting
near the back of the plane when the Boeing 777 made a terrifying plunge shortly
after taking off from Kahului Airport in Hawaii.
Williams told CNN the plane seemed to be
flying normally at first, but then he said the plane climbed at “a concerning
rate” for a few seconds.
“It felt like you were climbing to the top
of a roller coaster. It was at that point,” Williams said. “There were a number
of screams on the plane. Everybody knew that something was out of the ordinary,
or at least that this was not normal.”
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The plane then went into a “dramatic,
nose-down” dive for about eight to 10 seconds before it climbed steeply again
and resumed normal flight.
United said it conducted an investigation
with the FAA and the pilots union “that ultimately resulted in the pilots
receiving additional training,” adding the investigation is ongoing.
The pilots have a combined 25,000 hours of
flight time.
“The United Airlines flight crew reported
the incident to the FAA as part of a voluntary safety reporting program. The
agency reviewed the incident and took appropriate action,” the FAA told CNN.
Although the weather at the exact time is
unclear, the National Weather Service reported the day set a daily record for
rainfall at Kahului.
The incident, which is coming to light only
now, was first reported by the website Air
Current.
‘You’re just
kind of gripping the seat’
The experience was harrowing for passengers.
“When the plane started to nosedive,
multiple screams are being let out, at that point,” Williams said. “You’re
trying your best to maintain your composure – there’s obviously kids on the
flight – nobody really knows what’s going on, but at the same time, you’re
concerned. You don’t know if this is an issue, but it was certainly out of the ordinary.”
Williams said he and his wife were sitting
on either side of their children and glanced at each other during the steep
descent.
“It’s tense, you don’t really have a chance
to speak or to conjure up words, you’re just kind of gripping the seat and
praying under your breath,” he said. “I asked her later and sure enough … we
were praying for a miracle, because we felt like this could be it.”
Flight attendants comforted some passengers
after the incident and there was an announcement on the loudspeaker about 10
minutes later.
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“Someone from the cockpit got on the
intercom and said, ‘Alright, folks, you probably felt a couple G’s on that one,
but everything’s gonna be OK. We’re gonna be alright,’ ” Williams said.
Williams studied aviation in college, so he
had some idea of what was happening, but his daughter, 10, and son, 7, had
never flown before their trip to Hawaii, so they didn’t really know what was
happening. They were scared, Williams said, but his son still wants him to play
United by flying him on his shoulders.
The rest of the flight went smoothly, but
Williams said there was a strong crosswind when they landed in San Francisco.
They then took another flight home to Ohio.
Williams wasn’t aware of how close the plane
came to the water until Sunday night – eight weeks after the flight – when his
father showed him the report on the incident.
Williams said he has tried to focus on the
wonderful memories they made on what he called a once in a lifetime vacation
and that he didn’t want his kids to be afraid to fly so they can enjoy future
trips.
“Now that I know, statistically what had
happened, and that we were about 5 to 5.2 seconds from hitting the water, you
know, I’m definitely counting my blessings,” he said. “I’m reminded that when
my wife and I pray together before the flights that, you know, there’s a God
that’s here in that.”
He said he was grateful for the pilots’
“amazing, amazing recovery efforts,” and said they should be praised for that.
“You read about these things, but then when
you get to experience it, it’s just, sobering, you know. I’m very
thankful to be here today.”
FAA, NTSB Investigate United 777 Post-Takeoff Close Call
The NTSB and FAA are investigating a Dec. 18, 2022, incident in which a United Boeing 777 appeared to depart controlled flight into a steep descent after departing Maui for San Francisco, according to the industry data site The Air Current. The aircraft climbed to 2200 feet after departure and then entered the descent, coming within about 800 feet of the Pacific Ocean.
According to data distilled from FlightRadar24, the 777 descended at up to 8600 FPM before recovering, resuming the climb and continuing to San Francisco without incident. Flight loads maxed at 2.7 G’s and the entire incident occurred over a 45-second period. Weather at Maui was reported as heavy rain and a broken layer at 900 feet with a 2000-foot overcast. The incident occurred on the same day that a Phoenix to Honolulu Hawaiian Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence, injuring 25, six seriously. That flight also landed without incident.
United did not report the incident to the NTSB, but the crew filed a routine safety report after it landed in San Francisco, presumably through the FAA’s voluntary Aviation Safety Action Program and/or NASA ASRS program. The FAA reviewed the incident and said it took “appropriate action.”
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