United jet plunges to 775 feet over ocean after Hawaii takeoff, flight data shows

A United Airlines jet plunged hundreds of feet shortly after taking off from a Hawaii airport on Dec. 18, flight data shows.

The 777 fell from 2,200 feet to 775 feet above sea level after taking off from Kahului Airport in Maui at 2:49 p.m., Flight Radar reported. It regained the lost altitude in under a minute.

“We’re all looking at each other, looking out the window, grabbing onto the seat, grabbing the hand of the person next to you, praying under your breath and maybe a scream here and there,” passenger Rod Williams told KNTV. “We’re all 5 to 5.2 seconds away from not being around our loved ones.”

The rest of the flight to San Francisco was uneventful, the site reported.

The flight crew voluntarily reported the incident to the Federal Aviation Administration after landing and underwent additional training, United Airlines said in a statement to McClatchy News.

“Safety remains our highest priority,” the statement said, noting the two pilots had 25,000 hours of flying experience between them.

The airline and FAA did not report any injuries.

The plane took off during a storm in Hawaii, NBC News reported. It was not clear if the weather caused the incident, however.

The 777 has 364 seats, said The Air Current blog, which first reported the incident.

This story was originally published February 13, 2023 at 2:24 PM with the headline "United jet plunges to 775 feet over ocean after Hawaii takeoff, flight data shows."