A flight that took off from Hawaii’s airport Wednesday evening was heading toward a major mountain range and could have crashed there due to a mistake. Fortunately, air traffic control intervened in time, thus avoiding a major catastrophe.

American Airlines Flight 298 took off from Honolulu International Airport around 12:20 p.m. bound for Los Angeles. The pilots were supposed to make a turn on takeoff but failed to do so, putting them on a collision course with the Ko’olau Mountain Range, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The air traffic controller ordered the pilots to undertake an “accelerated climb” to reach a safe height and fly above the mountain range.

In audio cited by hawaiinewsnow.com, air traffic can be heard telling pilots: “Number 298, turn right, accelerate your climb across the terrain, then turn right.” »

The FAA also released a statement later, saying the maneuver “ensured the aircraft remained safely above nearby terrain.”

“An air traffic controller instructed American Airlines Flight 298 to perform an accelerated climb after the crew did not complete the assigned turn departing from Honolulu International Airport,” the FAA said in a statement. press release.

Authorities say if the plane had not managed to gain a dramatic elevation, it could have crashed into the Ko’olau Mountain Range on the island of O’ahu.

An American Airlines spokesperson told CNN that the enhanced ground proximity warning system, which alerts crew of a potential collision, did not activate during the incident. They added that the crew “complied with the controller’s instructions.”

The FAA has opened an investigation into the incident.