United Airlines flight from Maui took a steep dive, was 775 feet from Pacific Ocean, flight data shows
A United Airlines flight leaving Hawaii in December had a close call after flight data showed the plane took a dive and came within 800 feet of the Pacific Ocean.
The incident happened on Dec. 18 when United Airlines flight UA1722, a Boeing 777, took off from Kahului Airport on the island of Maui en route to San Francisco, according to data from Flight Radar. The Air Current was first to report the incident.
Flight data shows the aircraft took off from Maui at 2:49 p.m. local time and began to climb normally, reaching an altitude of 2,200 feet. But just 71 seconds after the flight took off, the plane took a steep dive and began falling at a rate of 8,600 feet per minute, or about 143 feet per second, according to The Air Current.
The plane ultimately dropped to 775 feet over the Pacific Ocean.
The Air Current reported the plane "quickly recovered" from the dive and regained altitude. The entire incident lasted no more than 45 seconds, according to data.
Plane collision: American Airlines plane and bus collide at LAX airport, 5 people hurt
Near collision in Austin: FedEx and Southwest planes that nearly collided were 'less than 100 feet' from collision, investigators say
United Airlines flight safely lands, gets inspected
The United Airlines flight continued its flight to San Francisco after the dive, landing safely at 9:03 p.m. local time.
After landing at San Francisco International Airport, the pilots filed a safety report on the incident, United Airlines spokesman Josh Freed said in a statement to USA TODAY. United then reported the incident to the Federal Aviation Administration, which said in a statement it "reviewed the incident and took appropriate action."
The aircraft underwent a standard inspection after landing in San Francisco, and no damage was observed, Freed said. The pilots, who had approximately 25,000 hours of flying experience between them, fully cooperated with the investigation and received additional training, which Freed said is ongoing.
More: A visual breakdown of what happened when turbulence rocked a Hawaiian Airlines flight
United Airlines flight happened on same day Hawaiian Airlines flight was rocked by turbulence
The dive with the United Airlines flight, which the Air Current said avoided any media attention, happened on the same day a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu was rocked by severe turbulence. Honolulu is about 100 miles northwest of Maui.
Just over six hours into the recording of the Hawaiian Airlines flight data, the plane dropped about 800 feet in 12 seconds.
Officials said 36 people were taken to hospitals, 11 of which were in serious condition. Jon Snook, Hawaiian Airlines chief operating officer, said the airline hasn't experienced "an incident of this nature in recent history."
The two incidents came as the Hawaii was experiencing showers and thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service. The entire island of Maui was under a flash flood warning at the time of the United Airlines flight.
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: United Airlines flight from Maui dove within 775 feet of Pacific Ocean
