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American Airlines flight departs over Honolulu with unusual path

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American Airlines flight departs over Honolulu with unusual path
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A recent incident involving an American Airlines flight departing from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu has raised concerns over departure procedures. The flight, bound for Dallas/Fort Worth, deviated from standard protocol by not making an immediate right turn after takeoff. Instead, the Boeing 777-200ER climbed directly over downtown Honolulu, drawing attention from observers on the ground.

FlightAware data shows that AA124 departed on time at 19:46 and took off at approximately 20:09 from runway 8R. The aircraft reached 1,000 feet but did not execute the expected right turn until it had passed Hawaii Route 92. It continued to climb over populated areas such as Waikiki Beach and the Honolulu Zoo before finally heading offshore.

Witnesses reported seeing the plane flying unusually low over Waikiki. One observer noted, "The plane shouldn’t be flying over Waikiki at all after departure. The plane looked like it could touch the tops of hotels."

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According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines, aircraft must complete a right turn within two nautical miles of runway departure end when taking off from runways 4L/R and 8L/R.

Data comparison with previous flights indicates that this deviation was unusual for AA124, as earlier flights adhered to standard procedures by making immediate turns upon departure.

The cause of this deviation remains unclear. Attempts to reach FAA and American Airlines representatives for comment were unsuccessful. A witness who listened to air traffic control recordings suggested there might have been confusion in communication between controllers and pilots.

Further investigation into pilot adherence to departure instructions may be warranted following similar incidents involving American Airlines flights in recent months.

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