Two pilots were killed Tuesday afternoon when a small plane crashed into an abandoned building near Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, releasing flames and black smoke.
A Kamaka Air Cessna 208 was conducting a training flight when it crashed into the building around 3:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Ed Sniffen, the director of Hawaii’s Department of Transportation, told reporters.
“It’s not a charter flight, it was a training flight,” Sniffen said. “There were two souls on board. Both died.”
The building, owned by the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, was empty.
Sniffen noted that the pilots, according to witnesses, “avoided quite a few structures, including our fuel farm, to minimize the impact.”
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash.
Audio transmissions from Kamaka Air 689 showed the air traffic control tower asking, “You are turning right, correct?” And a pilot on board responded, “We are out of control here,” Hawaii News Now reported.
Witnesses reported seeing the small plane flying low and then hearing a loud boom, followed by plumes of smoke.
“I was sitting at my desk and suddenly I saw a small plane flying past my office window, which is on the seventh floor. And I said, ‘Oh, he’s really, really sad,’ and he started banking and going back to the airport, and then I heard a loud bang,” witness Nancy Timko told Hawaii News Now.
The fire brigade arrived on scene and was able to contain the fire to the outside of the building. Honolulu Fire Chief Sheldon Hao said the Cessna struck an exterior stairwell. He said the debris field was no more than 50 feet deep.
Kamaka Air said in a statement on Tuesday: “It is with heavy hearts that Kamaka Air confirms the loss of two members of the Kamaka Air family in an accident at 3:13 pm this afternoon.”
The company, which operates air cargo flights and charter services, did not reveal the names of the pilots on board.
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport facilities were operational after the crash, but Ualena and Aolele streets near the wreckage were closed.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green said in a statement: “Jaime and my hearts go out to the pilot and passenger and their families, as well as to everyone who experienced this traumatic event.”
“Our Department of Transportation team will provide all necessary support to federal officials, whose job will be to investigate this incident and determine a cause, which may not be known for some time,” he added.
The building struck in the crash was scheduled for demolition before the crash and will be demolished soon, Sniffen said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
