Two Kamaka Air pilots on an afternoon training mission died Tuesday when they lost control of their single-turboprop Cessna Caravan and crashed into an abandoned building near Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
The thick black smoke from the flames and wreckage darkened the sky near the Honolulu airport at about 3:15 p.m. The fatal crash comes after a Kamaka Air plane crashed on Molokai, injuring two pilots, on Jan. 15, 2023.
The pilots’ final transmission indicated they had lost control of the plane. The air traffic control tower is heard asking the pilots whether they are turning right.
“Kamaka 689, we are, we have, uh, we’re out of control here,” said the pilot. Fire officials and eyewitnesses told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the plane struck the top of a warehouse and the burning wreckage fell into the parking lot.
The air traffic controller tried to walk them through efforts to salvage the aircraft before it burst into a ball of fire after colliding with the abandoned building. The state Department of Transportation said the pilot did all he could to avoid hurting anyone on the ground.
“We are profoundly saddened by the passing of Hiram deFries, a beloved graduate of the Punahou Class of 2020, along with his fellow co-pilot, Preston Kaluhiwa. At this time, our thoughts are with the deFries and Kaluhiwa families. We extend our deepest condolences to them and offer our support to all who are mourning this tragic loss,” read a statement to the Star-Advertiser from Punahou School.
DeFries, 22, was from Papakolea. Kaluhiwa, whose age was unknown, graduated from Kamehameha Schools, according to multiple TV reports.
Kamaka Air, a foreign limited liability company, was originally registered to do business in Hawaii on April 13, 1993. The company operated offices on six islands and launched a new website in 2020 highlighting its cargo services and personal charter flights.
“Our fleet of one Cessna SkyCourier and 6 Cessna Caravans, piloted by our skilled and dedicated team, ensure your cargo gets from point A to point B safely and efficiently,” reads a description of their aircraft.
David Hinderland, Kamaka Air’s CEO, did not immediately reply to Star-Advertiser requests for comment.
The Honolulu Emergency Services Department is near the crash site, and Honolulu EMS Assistant Chief of Operations Jeff Zuckernick saw the smoke and rushed to render aid but to no avail.
Dr. Jim Ireland, a medical doctor and director of Honolulu EMS, said the Honolulu Fire Department, Honolulu Police Department and Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting assets rushed to try and save the men.
Zuckernick, when he arrived on-scene, “quickly assessed that in the aircraft itself there were no survivors,” Ireland said.
“Your heart just sinks. Those are someone’s family members and friends,” Ireland said.
DOT Director Ed Sniffen said the Kamaka Air training flight had two people aboard and crashed soon after taking off from the airport’s Runway 4-Left.
Officials did not immediately release the identities or ages of the victims killed.
The flight has been identified as Kamaka Air Flight 689. The plane departed the Honolulu airport at 3:15 p.m. headed for Lanai Airport but never reached its destination, according to FlightAware.
Honolulu emergency responders arrived soon after the crash and confirmed that the two people aboard were dead, officials said.
The abandoned building is scheduled to be demolished, according to Sniffen, and no one was inside at the time of the crash.
Sniffen called the incident an “absolute tragedy,” but he said it could have been “much, much worse” because the pilot appeared to have made several adjustments to “minimize impacts.” Sniffen said an airport fueling station was not far from the impact site.
He said the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
Honolulu Fire Department Chief Sheldon Hao said the fire was contained to the exterior of the building and the downed aircraft and that it was quickly extinguished. Hao said airport firefighters arrived first, followed by HFD and Honolulu Emergency Medical Services.
Hao expressed condolences to the “Kamaka ohana.”
Ireland, of EMS, said the crash happened just a couple of blocks from EMS headquarters and that first responders were on the scene soon after the crash.
Roughly two dozen family and friends of at least one of the deceased pilots gathered on Ualena Street. They embraced one another, with tears in their eyes. Just before leaving the area at 7 p.m., they huddled together in prayer.
Family members of the other victim were instructed by the Sheriff Division to wait at Kamaka Air.
At about 3:10 p.m. Rowena Gusilatar had just parked her car on Ualena Street when she noticed a plane flying unusually low, roughly 30 feet above the ground.
“I see the plane going really low,” she said. “I saw it coming.”
Moments later, while still in her car, “I heard a loud crash sound,” she said. “I didn’t expect it to crash.”
She called her office and informed her employer, Oahu Transit Services, about the crash. The office was closed for the remainder of the day, she said.
Heavy black smoke was seen in the area near the air cargo facilities.
“Ualena and Aolele streets near Daniel K. Inouye International Airport are closed due to a plane crash,” DOT officials said in an alert at about 3:37 p.m. shortly after the crash.
City officials said in a statement, “The Honolulu Emergency Operations Center is partially activated in response to the incident near Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The City’s Department of Emergency Management is monitoring the situation, and multiple first responder agencies, including the Honolulu Fire Department and Honolulu Police Department, have responded to the incident.”
Gov. Josh Green issued a statement, saying: “Shortly after three this afternoon, HDOT responded to a plane crash into an unoccupied building on Ualena Street.
“All airport facilities are operational; however, the roads surrounding the plane crash are closed. HDOT is coordinating with airport employees and Terminal 3 occupants to provide safe transportation to areas not needed for the response to the crash.
“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. 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.”
Kai Kahele, a Hawaiian Airlines trans-Pacific pilot and the newly elected board chair of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, told the Star-Advertiser in a statement that “as a pilot, the loss of these two local boys hits particularly close to home. Our ‘ohana is heartbroken for their families and loved ones.
“These men were extraordinary young Hawaiian leaders who dedicated themselves to serving our rural communities. Commuter planes are lifelines for Hawai‘i’s small and remote communities. They deliver essential supplies, carry our kupuna to medical appointments, and connect us across the pae ‘aina. Their commitment to this mission reflects the depth of their character and their aloha for our people.”
State Rep. Mahina Poepoe (D, Molokai-Lanai-Hana) told the Star-Advertiser she is “deeply saddened by the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of the two individuals on board.”
“My sincerest condolences go out to their families and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” Poepoe said.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said the city is “deeply saddened by the tragic plane crash” that claimed the lives of two employees of Kamaka Air.
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Star-Advertiser writers Leila Fujimori and Dan Nakaso and Star-Advertiser photographer George F. Lee contributed to this report.
