United Flight Boeing 777-200

United Flight From Hawaii Narrowly Escaped Terrifying Plunge Toward Pacific Ocean

A United Airlines flight nearly crashed into the Pacific Ocean late last year after a rocky takeoff resulted in the plane plunging 1,400 feet in less than 30 seconds.

CNN reported today (Feb. 13) that the harrowing event took place on Dec. 18 when flight 1722 en route to San Francisco left the Kahului Airport in Maui at 2:49 pm during stormy weather.

After reaching an altitude of around 2,200, the crew lost control, and the Boeing 777-200 fell 1,425 feet in only 21 seconds. The pilot managed to regain control when the plane was within only 775 feet of the water, reported the Air Current.

The United flight continued on once it reached its cruising altitude. After spending approximately four hours in the air, it landed safely in San Francisco 27 minutes early. The plane resumed its schedule around two and a half hours later when it departed for Chicago.

The Pilots of the United Flight Will Undergo ‘Additional Training’

Fortunately, no one was injured. However, people aboard the flight vividly remember their helpless feelings during the plunge.

“When the plane started to nosedive, multiple screams are being let out, at that point,” Rod Williams II, a passenger who was on the flight with his family, told CNN. “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.”

“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 [my wife] later and sure enough … we were praying for a miracle because we felt like this could be it.”

Williams said that the United flight attendants immediately checked on the passengers and assured them that they were safe. Someone in the cockpit also got on the intercom and updated everyone about 10 minutes later saying that “everything’s gonna be OK.”

Josh Freed, a spokesperson with United, told The New York Post that the pilots took the appropriate action once they landed at SFO. After filing safety reports, they worked with the FAA and ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association) during an investigation.

Once the associations concluded, officials instructed the pilots to take “additional training.”

The pilot and copilot had a combined flying time of around 25,000 hours, according to Freed, and their training is “ongoing.”