The incident in question refers to a sudden dive of a Boeing Triple Seven aircraft towards the sea during a flight from Maui to San Francisco. The incident occurred in severe weather conditions on the 18th of December 2022. The pilots were experienced, with the captain having over 19,600 hours of total time, 5 of which were on the Boeing Triple Seven. The first officer was also experienced but was relatively new to the Boeing Triple Seven.
During their pre-flight briefing, the pilots decided on a new alternate routing to avoid the most severe parts of the storm. They also checked the technical status of the aircraft, which was fine. However, the weather conditions were the biggest problem, with the departure weather being particularly challenging.
After the flight crew boarded the aircraft, the pilots prepared for the departure. The first officer received a text message about a severe turbulence incident involving a Hawaiian Airlines aircraft, which added to their concerns. The pilots decided to use flaps 20 for departure and full thrust, as the winds were light and the weather was complicated.
The aircraft reached its maximum altitude of around 2000 feet before it started diving towards the sea. The pilots tried to pull up, but the aircraft was pitching down more than 10 degrees and continued to do so. The maximum vertical speed was recorded as 8536 feet per minute at an altitude of 1386 feet. The captain and first officer called for flaps up and pull up simultaneously, but the aircraft continued to dive. The gpws continued to call out "too low to rain," and the captain started to pull up on his control wheel, causing a vertical G loading around 2.66. The aircraft ultimately crashed into the sea.
1. The incident involved a Boeing Triple Seven that suddenly started diving towards the sea within a minute of takeoff.
2. The incident occurred on the 18th of December 2022, during a severe winter storm in the Hawaiian Islands.
3. The pilots were from United Airlines and were scheduled to operate flight 1722 towards San Francisco.
4. The aircraft was a 22-year-old Boeing Triple Seven with no recorded technical malfunctions.
5. The captain, who was 55 years old, had over 19,600 hours of total time, including 5 of those on the Boeing Triple Seven.
6. The first officer was relatively new to the Boeing Triple Seven, having only 120 hours of experience on it.
7. The pilots decided to use flaps 20 for departure, which is unusual for a Boeing Triple Seven.
8. The aircraft was cleared for takeoff runway 02 with a surface wind of 140 degrees at 10 knots in moderate rains.
9. The aircraft started experiencing moderate turbulence and began pitching down more than 10 degrees, which continued to worsen.
10. The maximum vertical speed was recorded as 8536 feet per minute at an altitude of 1386 feet.