Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

NTSB says it will investigate plane's steep dive off Hawaii

The National Transportation Safety Board is confirming that it will investigate a December flight in which a United Airlines plane dove to less than 800 feet above the ocean surface after taking off from Hawaii

Via AP news wire
Tuesday 14 February 2023 19:19 EST
Hawaii-Plane Drop
Hawaii-Plane Drop (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday it will investigate a December flight in which a United Airlines plane descended to within less than 800 feet (250 meters) of the ocean surface after taking off from Hawaii.

The NTSB said it expects to issue a preliminary report in two to three weeks.

The agency had told The Associated Press on Monday that it was asking United questions about the incident before deciding whether to launch a formal investigation.

The Boeing 777 dropped more than 1,400 feet (470 meters) before regaining altitude and completing the Dec. 18 flight from Kahului Airport on the island of Maui to San Francisco, according to data from tracking service Flightradar24. No injuries were reported.

Chicago-based United said it is cooperating with authorities and the pilots are currently receiving additional training.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in