The NTSB will investigate United Airlines Flight 777 bound for San Francisco after a dive from Maui’s Kahului Airport towards the Pacific Ocean.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A United Airlines Boeing 777 that took off from Hawaii in December plunged into the ocean for 21 seconds shortly after takeoff and ended up 800 feet above sea level, according to flight tracking data.

On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the Dec. 18 incident.

The federal agency said a preliminary report is expected in 2-3 weeks.

“I have a very short fuse when it comes to an airline or anyone on it telling me it’s not a public trust,” said ABC News aviation consultant John Nance. “This is public trust and we need to know what happened. If only for the reason that it was abnormal and easily treated.

Until then, seasoned pilot Nancy has a few theories.

While the passengers say the weather was bad, he doesn’t think he’s to blame.

The participating pilots were veterans and had combined over 25,000 flight hours. United said they received additional training after the incident.

This leads Nancy to believe that there may have been a malfunction in the automatic flight system.

MORE: United Airlines faces possible $1.15 million fine from FAA for pre-flight system check

“We all use computers these days, and I think we all know that if you program something wrong, it doesn’t mean you’re using the right computer language, but just typing it wrong, you can get bad results. Well, planes are not much different. There are very sophisticated computer systems that even control the flight path of an aircraft. So one of the questions is: was something programmed incorrectly?”

Nancy says it’s not about blaming, it’s about understanding.

Neither United nor the FAA reported that anyone was injured on United Flight 1722 on December 18.

The data showed that the fall occurred just over a minute after takeoff.

According to FlightRadar24, the plane lost more than half its altitude and ended up at an altitude of 775 feet above sea level.

The aircraft picked up speed as it dropped 1,425 feet from 2,200 feet before recovering climb from Kahului on the island of Maui.

“Felt like… on a rollercoaster”

Rod Williams II and his family were sitting in the back of the plane when a Boeing 777 made a horrific crash shortly after takeoff from Kahului Airport in Hawaii.

Williams told CNN that at first the plane seemed to be flying normally, but then he said that within seconds the plane was climbing at an “alarming rate”.

“It felt like you were climbing to the top of a rollercoaster. It was at that moment,” Williams said. “There were a few screams on the plane. Everyone knew something was wrong, or at least not normal.”

The aircraft then entered a “dramatic nose down dive” for about 8–10 seconds, after which it climbed steeply again and resumed normal flight.

United said it conducted an investigation with the FAA and the pilots’ union “which ultimately led to the pilots receiving additional training,” adding that the investigation is ongoing.

The total flight time of the pilots is 25,000 hours.

“The crew of United Airlines reported the incident to the FAA as part of a voluntary safety reporting program. The agency has reviewed the incident and taken appropriate action,” the FAA told CNN.

Although the weather at the exact time is unclear, the National Weather Service reported that Kahului set a daily record for rainfall that day.

The incident, which has only just become known, was first reported by the Air Current website.

“You’re just clinging to the seat”

The experience was harrowing for passengers.

“When the plane began to dive, at that moment there were many screams,” Williams said. “You are trying your best to keep your composure – there are obviously children on the plane – no one really knows what is going on, but at the same time you are worried. You don’t know if that’s a problem, but it was certainly unusual.”

Williams said he and his wife sat on either side of their children and looked at each other during the steep descent.

“It’s stressful, you don’t really have the ability to speak or make up words, you just cling to the seat and pray under your breath,” he said. “I asked her later, and of course we prayed for a miracle because we felt it might be.”

Flight attendants comforted some passengers after the incident, and about 10 minutes later, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker.

“Someone from the cockpit called on the intercom and said: “Okay, guys, you probably felt a couple of overloads, but everything will be fine. Everything will be fine,” Williams said.

Williams studied aviation in college so he had some idea of ​​what was going on, but his daughter, 10, and son, 7, had never flown prior to their trip to Hawaii, so they didn’t really know what was going on. They were scared, Williams said, but his son still wants him to play United, carrying him on his shoulders.

The rest of the flight went smoothly, but Williams said there was a strong side wind when they landed in San Francisco. They then took another flight home to Ohio.

Williams did not know how close the plane had gotten to the water until Sunday evening – eight weeks after the flight – when his father showed him the incident report.

Williams said he tried to focus on the wonderful memories they made during what he called a once-in-a-lifetime vacation and that he didn’t want his kids to be afraid to fly so they could enjoy future trips.

“Now that I know statistically what happened and that we were about 5-5.2 seconds from hitting the water, you know, I definitely count on my blessings,” he said. “I was reminded that when my wife and I pray together before a flight, you know there is God in it.”

He said he was grateful to the pilots for the “amazing, amazing recovery efforts” and said they should be commended for that.

“You read about these things, but then when you experience it, it’s just sobering, you know. I am very grateful to be here today.”

Gregory Wallace and David Williams of CNN contributed to this report.

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