The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Honolulu, Hawaii
Location: Lanai, HI
Accident Number: ANC21LA018
Date & Time: February 26, 2021, Local
Registration: N680DS
Aircraft: DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC
Registration: N680DS
Model/Series: DA 40
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: On-demand air taxi (135), Pilot school (141)
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: PHNY,1308 ft msl
Observation Time: 16:56 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 10 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 22°C /19°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 27 knots / 36 knots, 40°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.07 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Lanai, HI
Destination: Honolulu, HI (PHNL)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 20.849569,-157.12654 (est)
Two Oahu pilots were apparently doing “fine” after suffering “minor injuries” in a single-engine plane crash off Lanai Saturday evening.
The crash occurred around 5:50 p.m. Saturday in waters 3 miles west of Lanai City, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident.
Shortly before the crash at 5:49 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard said that Joint Rescue Coordination Center watchstanders received a report from Honolulu Control Facility stating an aircraft was experiencing engine trouble and was likely going to ditch in the water. Air traffic control put out the word to other pilots to be on the lookout for the Diamond DA40 Diamond Star being rented out for flight instruction.
Mokulele Airlines pilot Justin Constantino and first officer Jeremy Delia were nearby and were monitoring the distressed aircraft. Constantino said they conversed with the pilots in distress, who reported that they were having engine problems and had tried to restart it with no success. White smoke was also coming out from the cowling, the pilots told Constantino and Delia, who witnessed the crash.
Constantino said there was no fire when the plane went down, but they did have to circle the area a few times until they spotted the victims.
“Finally saw two life jackets. We knew they were out,” Constantino recalled Sunday morning via phone.
The Mokulele pilots told air traffic control that it was close to sunset and that authorities should hurry to rescue the victims.
“It was pretty rough,” Constantino said of the conditions Saturday evening. “It was pretty hard to keep an eye on them. There were so many white caps. They were definitely being pushed by the current.”
Constantino said winds were blowing around 30 to 40 miles per hour at the time.
“I was thinking, if that was me I would want any help I could get,” Constantino said.
The Mokulele pilots got consent from their passengers to stay in the area and keep an eye on the other aircraft but had to leave after around 40 minutes because they were monitoring their own fuel. Constantino said a plane from Kamaka Air, an air cargo company, then came to monitor the area. Officials from Kamaka Air could not immediately be reached for comment on Sunday.
Coast Guard watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast notice to mariners and deployed an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and Station Maui 45-foot Response Boat-Medium rescue crews.
Once on scene, the Dolphin helicopter crew located the two pilots and deployed a rescue swimmer to give aid and hoist the pilots to safety.
Fire crews from Maui and Molokai deployed air and surface assets to aid in the rescue.
The aircraft reportedly sank and does not present a threat to navigation, the Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew rescued the pilots 8 miles off of Lanai and brought them to awaiting emergency services at the air station, the Coast Guard said.
“As a watchstander this is the type of outcome we want to see with every case,” said Lt. j.g. Makenzy Karnehm, a Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center watchstander. “Both the Coast Guard and our partners train together for incidents like this and once the call came in we were able to quickly mobilize a robust response and rescue the pilots.”
Honolulu Emergency Medical Services spokeswoman Shayne Enright said on Sunday that one victim is 34 years old and the other is 44.
George’s Aviation Services CEO George Hanzawa, whose Diamond DA40 Diamond Star was being used as an instruction rental Saturday before it crashed, said the men were “experienced pilots” who came away with “minor injuries” and were taken to the hospital Saturday evening for observation. He did not know their condition Sunday but said “they told us they are fine.”
One of the pilots even waved to Hanzawa as he watched them being taken to the hospital Saturday. Due to COVID-19 protocols, he was unable to visit with them.
Hanzawa said on Sunday morning via phone that one of the men had been working on a “higher rating” while flying Saturday.
“That’s what it takes, training and all of that. That’s what makes great outcomes,” Hanzawa said.
The two men involved in the crash had prior experience flying aircraft. One was a flight instructor and the other was a pilot under instruction working on advancing his credentials.
They had taken off in a Diamond DA40 Diamond Star Saturday afternoon for a training exercise.
The crash occurred when the aircraft ran into engine problems.
Officials said that both men are expected to recover from the injuries they sustained from the forced ocean landing.
George Hanazawa, president of George’s Aviation Services, said, “They ended up executing emergency procedures and did a proper water landing. They landed the aircraft correctly in the water, deploying safety devices and wearing their vests.”
Hanzawa said he knows that the plane ran into engine problems several hours into the flight.
George’s Aviation provides pilot training and allows customers to rent airplanes. Hanzawa said the company operates about 1,000 landings a month.
Hanzawa said he briefly spoke to the instructor after the two men were transported to Oahu for treatment.
“He said ‘Hey George I’m okay and I’ll be alright.’ So I’m very, very relieved to see him with my own eyes,” he said.
Hanzawa said he is thankful that a passenger airline, Mokulele Airlines, and a freight carrier, Kamaka Air, were nearby and kept watch over the downed pilots before the Coast Guard rescue helicopter could arrive.
“Mokulele was one of first on scene and circled over them for a long time, just to keep a visual. Shortly after, the aircraft sunk,” he said.
Hanzawa said he also flew out to see if he could help, but by then the rescue efforts were already under way.
“The Coast Guard had it under control. They did a fabulous job. The helicopter arrived just as it became dark.”
Federal authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident.
It's great to see people coming together like this to help others in distress! Well done to all!
ReplyDeleteReminds me of this story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_188_Pacific_rescue
ReplyDelete