A Cessna 208 passenger aircraft lost control and crashed in an industrial area near the Honolulu Airport today in Hawaii, United States.
A video showed the aircraft, which was on a training flight, rapidly losing altitude and taking a sharp left before crashing into a vacant building. Preston Kaluhiwa – a passenger – and Hiram deFries, a 22-year-old trainee pilot, died in the incident.
The aircraft, operated by Kamala Air, was up in flames after the crash, followed by a large plume of smoke. The Honolulu Fire Department, the cops and the city’s emergency management department rushed to the spot. No other casualties were reported.
A Cessna 208 Caravan plane operated by Kamaka Air ran into trouble and lost control.
It crashed near the Honolulu Airport in a busy industrial area.
The industrial area services many companies such as FedEx, USPS, numerous car rentals / dealerships.
A highrise office building… pic.twitter.com/Rx0HEMDG8f
— Chris Randolph (@TrumpAF2024) December 18, 2024
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has opened an investigation into the crash.
A witness told the local media that “he heard a loud crash and saw a plane on fire. “I was working and all of a sudden had a loud, one big boom, and I looked out and there were just some freaking clouds of smoke and my coworkers told me a plane crashed right next to our building.”
#BREAKING: A plane crashed near Honolulu’s Airport. Sources say two people were killed. We’re learning this was a Kamaka Air Aircraft.
Details are developing. #HawaiiNews #HNN pic.twitter.com/R9Ls7BwSeq
— Dillon Ancheta (@DillonAncheta) December 18, 2024
The audio of the pilot’s last words before the crash was shared by a local news outlet. In his distress call to the air traffic control, the ATC tower said, “Kamaka Flight 689, you’re turning right, correct?”
The pilot responded, “Kamaka 689, we are, we have, we’re out of control here.”
“OK, Kamaka 689, if you can land, if you can level it off, that’s fine,” the control tower said. “Any runway, any place you can do.”
The plane crashed a few seconds later.
“Jaime’s and my hearts go out to the pilot and passenger and their families as well as to all who have experienced this traumatic event,” Newsweek reported, quoting Hawaii Governor Josh Green.
“Services are available to help you process what you have witnessed; call 2-1-1, Aloha United Way, for assistance. Our Department of Transportation team will provide all necessary support to federal officials, whose job it will be to investigate this incident and determine a cause, which may not be known for some time,” he added.
