![]() That same day, another flight out of Hawaii experienced severe turbulence, and 25 people onboard were injured. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that the investigative agency is still seeking information about the Dec. ![]() The agency reviewed the incident and took appropriate action," the FAA told CNN. "The United Airlines flight crew reported the incident to the FAA as part of a voluntary safety reporting program. The pilots have a combined 25,000 hours of flight time. "The good thing is you had two trained pilots who were able to act and keep this from becoming a major catastrophe," said Sumwalt, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board and a retired 737 captain. United said it conducted an investigation with the FAA and the pilots union "that ultimately resulted in the pilots receiving additional training," adding the investigation is ongoing.ĬBS News aviation safety analyst Robert Sumwalt called the dip "an alarming event." "You read about these things, but then when you get to experience it, it's just, sobering, you know. He said he was grateful for the pilots' "amazing, amazing recovery efforts," and said they should be praised for that. "I'm reminded that when my wife and I pray together before the flights that, you know, there's a God that's here in that." "Now that I know, statistically what had happened, and that we were about 5 to 5.2 seconds from hitting the water, you know, I'm definitely counting my blessings," he said. Williams said he has tried to focus on the wonderful memories they made on what he called a once in a lifetime vacation and that he didn't want his kids to be afraid to fly so they can enjoy future trips. ![]() Williams wasn't aware of how close the plane came to the water until Sunday night - eight weeks after the flight - when his father showed him the report on the incident. They then took another flight home to Ohio. The rest of the flight went smoothly, but Williams said there was a strong crosswind when they landed in San Francisco. They were scared, Williams said, but his son still wants him to play United by flying him on his shoulders. Williams studied aviation in college, so he had some idea of what was happening, but his daughter, 10, and son, 7, had never flown before their trip to Hawaii, so they didn't really know what was happening. We're gonna be alright,' " Williams said. "Someone from the cockpit got on the intercom and said, 'Alright, folks, you probably felt a couple G's on that one, but everything's gonna be OK. we were praying for a miracle, because we felt like this could be it."įlight attendants comforted some passengers after the incident and there was an announcement on the loudspeaker about 10 minutes later. "It's tense, you don't really have a chance to speak or to conjure up words, you're just kind of gripping the seat and praying under your breath," he said. Williams said he and his wife were sitting on either side of their children and glanced at each other during the steep descent. You don't know if this is an issue, but it was certainly out of the ordinary." "You're trying your best to maintain your composure - there's obviously kids on the flight - nobody really knows what's going on, but at the same time, you're concerned. "When the plane started to nosedive, multiple screams are being let out, at that point," Williams said.
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