According to ABC 7, the flight crew departed from Newark Airport, bound for Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in Florida.

Gabrielle Harding, one of two Black women working as line check pilots at United, was scheduled as captain of staffing flight 1215 from EWR to SRQ. Harding is the second Black woman in her position in the company’s history.

“I love everything about flying,” Harding told ABC 7. “It gives me the flexibility to be a mother as well as to be able to travel different places. I love every aspect of the job.”

Captain Harding has had many firsts throughout her aviation career. She is the only Black woman flying a commercial airline who graduated from an HBCU pilot program, per ABC 7.

She is also a member of the “Hampton 6,” a cohort of Hampton graduates who are now captains at United Airlines, where she stands out as the sole woman among them.

Accompanying Harding in the cockpit is First Officer Julia Ewalefo, who flew her first flight with United following her career transition from a flight attendant.

“For the girls and the future generations, just knowing that it’s possible for us, and just to be inspired in knowing that anything you want to do, just put your mind to it,” Ewalefo said.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, fewer than 10% of all licensed pilots are women. While there are challenges along the way, Harding aims to pave the way for Ewalefo and other women with aspirations of becoming pilots.

“There’s always going to be a little bit of negative feedback that comes with it,” Harding explained to WABC. “That’s what fuels the soul, and that’s what makes you keeps on pushing.”

She continued, “Also, that was one of the things that made me want to become a line check pilot, so that I could help people like Julia get through those barriers so that they don’t have to go through some of the pushback that I had to go through.”