HONOLULU — Investigators are reviewing the records and the burned-out wreckage of the single-engine plane that went up in flames just after takeoff from a Kauai air port and then exploded as it hit the ground, killing the pilot, two skydive instructors and two tandem jumpers.
So far, there are no records of accidents for the owner of the skydiving plane, officials said Tuesday.
The five people aboard were killed when the plane thought to have been operated by SkyDive Kauai crashed Monday, firefighters said.
There also are no reports enforcement actions against David Timko, owner of SkyDive Kauai, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. The company is listed in state documents as a trade name for D&J Air Adventures, the registered owner of the Cessna 182H, according to FAA records.
“Our hearts go out to the families,” Timko said, adding he didn’t have further comment because the crash is under investigation.
Four of the victims died at the scene, and one died at a hospital, officials said. Police anticipate releasing the names today, pending autopsies, officials said Tuesday.
Investigators reviewed the wreckage of the single-engine plane in a field just outside Port Allen Airport. Cisco Campos was fishing nearby Monday and said the engine sounded strange after the plane left the runway.
Campos said it looked like the plane was trying to go back to the airport when it caught fire and then “everything exploded” as it crashed.
“Something must have been wrong with the engine,” he said, adding that as it tried to land again, the plane was heading into the wind.
“By the time I got there, the plane had been burned pretty bad,” Kauai Fire Chief Robert Westerman said.
The crash on a dirt road ignited a small brush fire that firefighters extinguished soon afterward.
The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating the cause of the crash.
A few hours later Monday, another small plane crashed into the water off the coast of Oahu. Lifeguards brought two people to shore, and one went to a hospital, Honolulu Fire Department Capt. David Jenkins said.
The other person aboard wasn’t injured, Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokeswoman Shayne Enright said.
Twenty visitors died in aircraft crashes in Hawaii from 2005-14, including one skydiver, state Department of Health data show. The others were killed in plane, helicopter and light sport aircraft crashes. During the same period, 24 residents were killed in air crashes, including four skydivers.
