Witnesses sought as federal team arrives in Honolulu to investigate deadly plane crash
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A team of three investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive late Wednesday night to begin ground work on the double fatal plane crash Tuesday.
A Cessna Caravan 208 slammed into a vacant building near Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, killing two people on board.
Ahead of the impact, the pilot notified the tower that they were out of control. The aircraft then suddenly turned and hit the structure.
A search of Federal Aviation Administration registry records show Hiram deFries-Saronitman and Preston Kaluhiwa had commercial pilot certificates.
Kaluhiwa also had a flight instructor certificate.
The Cessna Caravan 208 is known as a reliable plane, but it is the same model that went down 11 years ago off the coast of Molokai.
Department of Health Director Loretta Fuddy survived the crash, but died in the ocean waiting for help.
The NTSB said the engine compressor failed after taking off from Kalaupapa’s airport and the company, Makani Kai, missed a crucial inspection.
Attorney Rick Fried, a former Air Force pilot, represented Fuddy’s family in a lawsuit. He said the NTSB will do a thorough investigation into Tuesday’s crash.
“They’ll do metallurgic testing on various engine parts and see if there’s any failures,” he said.
A spokesman for the agency said the team will document the crash site and the wreckage upon arrival in Honolulu.
Then the plane and debris will be moved to a secure facility.
Investigators will gather information related to the flight track data and collect maintenance records, evaluate the pilots' licenses, ratings and flight experience.
NTSB is also seeking more witness statements and videos from the minutes before impact.
Fried said those could be helpful to determine if pilot error or engine problems led to the crash.
Anyone with information that could be relevant to the investigation is asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
The NTSB preliminary report is expected to be completed in about a month.
The full report will likely take more than a year.
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