Cessna 172M accident near Open water, HI
On December 31, 2016, a Cessna 172M (airplane) was involved in an accident near Open water, HI. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 31, 2016
- Place
- Open water, HI
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 21.231°N, 157.186°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170105X04225
Official records · WPR17FAMS2
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On December 30, 2016, about 1849 Hawaiian standard time, a Cessna 172M, N174LL, impacted water near Molokai Airport (PHMK), Kaunakakai, Hawaii en route to the Honolulu Airport (HNL), Honolulu, Hawaii. Since that time, the private pilot and two passengers have not been located, and the airplane is missing. The airplane disappeared from Air Traffic Control radar after takeoff and is presumed to have crashed in the Pacific Ocean. The airplane was registered to Yamataka Kumiko and operated by Lani Lea Sky Tours, LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight that departed PHMK at 1843. A representative of the airplane rental facility reported that the pilot had rented one of their airplanes and departed HNL a few hours earlier on a recreational flight to PHMK. At the time of the accident, the flight was returning to HNL. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ATC radar data, shortly after the airplane's departure from PHMK it immediately started a shallow climb to the northwest. At 1848:28, the airplane began a descending right turn from a Mode C reported altitude of approximately 2,525 feet msl. The radar track ended at 1849:04, over open water approximately 1.5 nautical miles (nm) from the coast and about 7 nm northwest of PHMK. On December 30, at 1913, the FAA issued an alert notice (ALNOT) for the missing airplane after FAA Air Traffic Control (ATC) lost radar contact with the airplane. A search and re
Probable cause
Undetermined because the airplane was not located.
More accidents in HI
- Beech 65-A90, Jun 22, 2019
- Piper PA-31-350, Sep 26, 1999
- Boeing 747-122, Feb 24, 1989
- Beech E18S, Apr 23, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 24, 1987
Browse: Hawaii · Cessna 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.
