Delta Air Lines Flight 419 (DAL419), flying from Seattle to Honolulu, encountered an apparent in-flight emergency over the Washington coast Thursday evening and ultimately returned safely to Seattle.
The Boeing 767 reportedly diverted from its Honolulu-bound route around 5 p.m. while about 5–10 miles west of Grayland. It then entered a holding pattern over Pacific County, making roughly 10 identical loops for about 75 minutes.
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft descending as low as 5,950 feet during the holding pattern before it finally turned back toward Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. DAL419 landed safely shortly after 7:15 p.m.
Adding to the unusual scene, a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III also flew unusually low over the Long Beach Peninsula around the same time. The military aircraft departed Joint Base Lewis-McChord at 6:23 p.m., reached the coast, made a sharp turn near Westport and approached the peninsula at an altitude of only about 750 feet.
The C-17’s flight-tracking data then disappeared for approximately four minutes as the two aircraft were operating on opposite sides of the northern peninsula.
There has been no official explanation yet for what happened aboard the Delta flight or why the C-17 was operating in the area.
Both aircraft ultimately continued safely, but the unusual combination of a commercial airliner circling at low altitude and a military transport flying nearby has raised plenty of questions.
