Piper PA-34-200 accident near Halawa, HI
On November 2, 1996, a Piper PA-34-200 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Halawa, HI. 5 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 2, 1996
- Place
- Halawa, HI
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 5 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 21.079°N, 157.009°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X07053
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 1, 1996, at 1907 hours Hawaiian standard time, a Piper PA-34-200, N1701K, collided with mountainous terrain while in cruise flight 2 miles west of Halawa, Hawaii, on the island of Molokai. The aircraft departed Molokai Airport, Kaunakakai, on the island of Molokai, about 1845 en route to Kahului Airport, on the island of Maui. The aircraft was destroyed and the non instrument rated commercial pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. Witnesses near the accident site reported that instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated earlier in the day at Kahului for the purpose of transporting five members of the Maui County Democratic Party to a political rally on Molokai, and arrived in Molokai about 1600. The pilot was the Co-Chairman of the Maui County Democratic Party. According to newspaper accounts, the group was upbeat about prospects for the election coming in 4 days. According to the other co-chairperson, however, about 1830 the pilot expressed concern about the weather and expressed his desire to leave on the return flight. She described him as seemingly apprehensive. Another person at the rally drove the five people back to the airport, dropped them off at about 1845, and left as they were walking to the plane. That person said that the sun had set but that there was still light in the sky, and that the ground was wet but it was not raining. The tower closed at 1830 and there are no known observers to the departure. Recorded CDR radar data from Honolulu Combined En route Radar and Approach (CERAP) shows a VFR a
Probable cause
the pilot's inadvertent VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain sufficient clearance and/or altitude from mountainous terrain. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, adverse weather conditions, and mountainous terrain.
More accidents in HI
- Beech 65-A90, Jun 22, 2019
- Piper PA-31-350, Sep 26, 1999
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- Beech E18S, Apr 23, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 24, 1987
Browse: Hawaii · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
