Airlines
United flight dives within 775 feet of impact with Pacific Ocean
A passenger flight from Maui to San Francisco nearly impacted into the Pacific Ocean in December, according to a recently released report from Air Current reports that at 2:49 p.m., United Airlines Flight 1722, a Boeing 777-200, departed Maui for San Francisco. On December 18, 2022, Hawaiian time.
According to information from Flightradar24, the flight took off in bad weather and appeared to rise properly. According to flight data, the plane descended at a pace of around 8,600 feet per minute before starting a steep dive at a height of roughly 2,200 feet.
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Before climbing back up, the flight had dropped to below 775 feet. The Space Needle is 605 feet tall, so that helps put things in perspective. The recovery ascent caused the aircraft and occupants to experience 2.7Gs as it accelerated to an 8,600 feet per minute climb.
As part of its reporting on the steep dive by United Airlines flight UA1722 after departure from Kahului last December, @theaircurrent analyzed data from Flightradar24. Review and download the data at https://t.co/Ao9YDwt5AL pic.twitter.com/a09oqteYEL
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 12, 2023
The United crew reported the event as part of a voluntary safety-reporting procedure, according to the federal agency in charge of overseeing airlines. Without offering any other information, the FAA stated that it reviewed the incident and took proper action.
United claimed that it collaborated with the FAA and the pilots’ union on an investigation that resulted in further training for the two pilots, which is still ongoing. The airline did not provide an explanation for why the pilots decided against landing back at Kahului Airport and continued the lengthy, overwater journey to San Francisco.
