American Airlines flight narrowly avoids mountain with 'expedited climb'

NEW YORK — An American Airlines flight had to "perform an expedited climb" in order to avoid a mountain during a routine departure out of Hawaii on Wednesday.

The plane had just departed from Honolulu International Airport and was on its way to Los Angeles International Airport.

Air traffic control can be heard telling the pilot "turn right and expedite your climb through terrain" on audio from the flight provided by LIVEATC.NET.

According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, "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 FAA's statement continued, "The controller's actions ensured the aircraft remained safely above nearby terrain."

"The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority," American Airlines said in a statement.

"During the climb out of Honolulu on November 13, the crew of American Airlines flight 298 requested and received right-turn clearance and complied with controller instructions. There was no Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) alert as there were no issues with terrain clearance based on the trajectory of the aircraft," the statement continued.

The incident occurred around 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

The FAA will continue to investigate.

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