Stock photo of a United Airlines flight taking off
(Picture: REUTERS)A United Airlines flight from Maui to San Francisco plunged 1,400ft in less than a minute shortly after take off, according to reports.
Flight UA1722 had taken off from Maui’s Kahului Airport on 18 December when it got into difficulties at just 2,200ft.
Once reaching that height, flight-tracking data shows that the Boeing 777-200 took a deep dive at a speed of 8,600ft per minute, descending to just 775ft above sea level.
The Boeing righted itself after around 45 seconds of steep descent, airline industry publication The Air Current reported. It went on to climb safely to 33,000ft and flew onward to San Francisco without further issues.
A spokesperson for United Airlines said: “After landing at SFO, the pilots filed the appropriate safety report. United then closely coordinated with the FAA and ALPA on an investigation that ultimately resulted in the pilots receiving additional training.
“Safety remains our highest priority.”
The pilots had 25,000 flying hours between them, the airline said.
It is not known whether air traffic controllers noticed the incident in Maui and released recordings between pilots and air traffic controllers do not mention the event.
It comes after a Qatar Airways 787 Boeing plane came within seconds of hitting the waves of the Persian Gulf on January 10.
The flight took off from Hamad International Airport in Doha bound for Denmark when the very close call took place.
The plane reportedly fell 1000ft within 24 seconds, while the first officer was flying manually without help from the automated flight director.
The captain quickly took charge and rapidly pulled the aircraft up, avoiding disaster from only 800ft above the ocean.
