New Delhi: A United Airlines flight plunged to less than 800ft nearly into the Pacific Ocean shortly after takeoff in an apparent near crash, reported The Guardian citing airline industry publication The Air Current. 


Notably, the incident occurred last year in December and went unreported till now. The data analysis of the Maui to San Franciso flight revealed that it had reached an altitude of roughly 2,200ft when it began a steep dive. It descended at a rate of about 8,600ft a minute dipping below 775ft, reported The Guardian. 


The flight then recovered its altitude and travelled to its destination without further issues. As per the report, the untoward incident lasted for around 45 seconds and was not mentioned in recordings of air traffic control radio calls that were reviewed by the Air Curren, the report mentioned. 


A United spokesperson, Josh Freed, told the Guardian that United “closely coordinated with the [Federal Aviation Administration] and [Air Line Pilots Association, International] on an investigation that ultimately resulted in the pilots receiving additional training.” 


“Safety remains our highest priority,” he added. 


The pilots of the Boeing 777-200 had a combined flying experience of 25,000 hours and had “fully cooperated” with the investigation, Freed added as quoted by the Guardian. 


The matter has come to light amid a period of turbulence for the US airline industry.  


According to the Guardian, in December only, a Hawaiian Airlines flight preparing to land in Honolulu experienced “severe turbulence”. At least 36 people were injured on the flight. 


The storm system caused a major winter storm across the US triggering a complete meltdown by Southwest Airlines. It resulted into cancellation of thousands of flights and left travellers stranded over the Christmas holiday weekend. 


The report mentioned that in January, two planes at John F Kennedy airport in New York nearly collided when an American Airlines plane crossed the runway ahead of a Delta plane that was accelerating for takeoff.  


Notably, the American Airlines pilots involved in the case refused to give investigators recorded interviews.