Kona airport runway reopened after aircraft accident
Flight operations at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole were impacted for several hours Tuesday after a small plane veered off the runway while landing.
According to the FAA, the nose wheel of a single-engine Rockwell Commander 114 collapsed when the aircraft landed on Runway 17 at the airport in Kailua-Kona around 8:45 a.m.
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“The plane then veered off the side of the runway. Only the pilot was aboard,” the FAA said, adding an investigation is underway.
According to the state Department of Transportation, state aircraft rescue and firefighters responded to the runway and found the lone pilot was not injured in the landing.
A portion of the runway was shut down while the plane was being removed.
Jai Cunningham, public information officer with the state Department of Transportation, said that the airport remained open for commercial flights, but some airlines had opted to divert flights.
The runway opened shortly before 11:30 a.m. and operations at the airport returned to normal.
