American Airlines Close Call: ‘Expedited Climb’ Avoids Mountain Collision

An American Airlines flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles narrowly escaped a collision with a mountain after an “expedited climb” maneuver. Shortly after departure from Honolulu International Airport, air traffic control urgently directed the pilot to “turn right and expedite your climb through terrain,” as heard on audio from LIVEATC.NET. This quick reaction helped the aircraft avoid nearby high terrain.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later explained that the crew missed an assigned turn shortly after takeoff, prompting the controller to issue the expedited climb command. “The controller’s actions ensured the aircraft remained safely above nearby terrain,” the FAA’s statement emphasized, highlighting the decisive role of air traffic control in averting the close call.

Aviation expert and retired Marine Colonel Steve Ganyard remarked that such instructions are typically followed after departure from Honolulu to steer away from elevated terrain. “They never should have been that close in the first place,” Ganyard noted, explaining that standard procedures include a right turn away from high terrain. According to him, the incident revealed a combination of “aircrew error” and a possible lapse in communication with air traffic control. He further emphasized that if the plane had experienced an engine failure, the situation could have become deadly.

The near-miss, occurring around 1 a.m. local time, has triggered an FAA investigation into both the flight crew’s actions and air traffic control practices. “How any crew flying into HNL could not be aware of the high terrain will be a question for investigators,” Ganyard said, predicting a thorough probe into all parties involved. American Airlines has yet to comment on the incident, but the investigation aims to reinforce safety protocols for the route to prevent similar incidents in the future.

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