What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
1/7/2020 At 3:15PM HST the hnl FSDO received a call from DPE privacy data omitted that he had been involved in an accident while conducting a private pilot certification of privacy data omitted at kalaeloa airport ( phjr). privacy data omitted Informed the FSDO that there were no injuries but the aircraft is damaged and a post crash fire ensued.
Aircraft fire was extinguished prior to FAA arrival. At phjr airport N779LB was sitting centerline of runway 4R, at the 6000 foot remaining marker, with right wing landing gear crumpled under wing. Nose of aircraft damaged, propeller sheared off with only fiberglass shards remaining and nose wheel crushed under engine. Right wing trailing edge towards fuselage deformed from post crash fire that ends at fuselage and wing root area. Fire intensity appears to be centered on exterior fuselage area just aft of right wing behind right rear passenger seat and slightly before aft right avionics bay access panel. The auxiliary 12 volt battery is located behind primary burned fuselage area.
Prior to close fuselage examination and in order to ensure safety of investigation personnel the ballistic parachute required primary and auxiliary battery disconnection.
While inspecting open avionics/auxiliary battery area inspector monfort was subjected to noxious acidic gas. Inspector privacy data omitted inadvertently inhaled gas through his FAA protective mask (ppe). Inspector suffered immediate difficulty with breathing and a headache.
Inspector privacy data omitted quickly withdrew from the gas but was unable to enter cockpit area. All further interior area investigation had to be completed by respirator O2 protected firemen.
200 Feet behind aircraft the wreckage pattern begins as a white 24 inch wide paint smear/scrape along the right of runway centerline that arches and extends up approximately 100 feet towards the aircraft.
At the end of the white paint smear and 100 feet behind the aircraft the runway shows an initial strike pattern of the propeller and a large oil stain. Stains resembles explosive pattern of brake fluid from right gear crush and partial separation.
From the prop stike to the aircraft the debris field becomes significantly wider, more dispersed, and the wheel was dragged to the final resting place, leaving a black rubber burn on the runway. Right wheel at wreckage is disfigured and laid over on its right side attached by remaining fiberglass shards.
Right wing was punctured by collapsed right landing gear and fuel was leaked. Heat from skidding tire and metal dragging ignited post crash fire on trailing edge of right wing between flap and aileron. Aircraft skidded towards center line and stopped.
Winds in excess of 20 knots pushed fire slightly inboard towards fuselage and away from the initial compromised wing tank.
Once aircraft came to a complete stop the pilots reported that they immediately evacuated the aircraft due to fire on right wing.
privacy data omitted Recieved a minor cut to a finger while evacuation and both pilots lost there glasses during crash. Pilots informed jjm that the fire truck responded shortly after evacuation and extinguished the fire.
Gusty winds prevailed the entire time inspector was on site.
As the FAA filed it
1/7/2020 AT 3:15PM HST THE HNL FSDO RECEIVED A CALL FROM DPE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT HE HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE CONDUCTING A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATION OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AT KALAELOA AIRPORT ( PHJR). ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INFORMED THE FSDO THAT THERE WERE NO INJURIES BUT THE AIRCRAFT IS DAMAGED AND A POST CRASH FIRE ENSUED.
AIRCRAFT FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED PRIOR TO FAA ARRIVAL. AT PHJR AIRPORT N779LB WAS SITTING CENTERLINE OF RUNWAY 4R, AT THE 6000 FOOT REMAINING MARKER, WITH RIGHT WING LANDING GEAR CRUMPLED UNDER WING. NOSE OF AIRCRAFT DAMAGED, PROPELLER SHEARED OFF WITH ONLY FIBERGLASS SHARDS REMAINING AND NOSE WHEEL CRUSHED UNDER ENGINE. RIGHT WING TRAILING EDGE TOWARDS FUSELAGE DEFORMED FROM POST CRASH FIRE THAT ENDS AT FUSELAGE AND WING ROOT AREA. FIRE INTENSITY APPEARS TO BE CENTERED ON EXTERIOR FUSELAGE AREA JUST AFT OF RIGHT WING BEHIND RIGHT REAR PASSENGER SEAT AND SLIGHTLY BEFORE AFT RIGHT AVIONICS BAY ACCESS PANEL. THE AUXILIARY 12 VOLT BATTERY IS LOCATED BEHIND PRIMARY BURNED FUSELAGE AREA.
PRIOR TO CLOSE FUSELAGE EXAMINATION AND IN ORDER TO ENSURE SAFETY OF INVESTIGATION PERSONNEL THE BALLISTIC PARACHUTE REQUIRED PRIMARY AND AUXILIARY BATTERY DISCONNECTION.
WHILE INSPECTING OPEN AVIONICS/AUXILIARY BATTERY AREA INSPECTOR MONFORT WAS SUBJECTED TO NOXIOUS ACIDIC GAS. INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INADVERTENTLY INHALED GAS THROUGH HIS FAA PROTECTIVE MASK (PPE). INSPECTOR SUFFERED IMMEDIATE DIFFICULTY WITH BREATHING AND A HEADACHE.
INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ QUICKLY WITHDREW FROM THE GAS BUT WAS UNABLE TO ENTER COCKPIT AREA. ALL FURTHER INTERIOR AREA INVESTIGATION HAD TO BE COMPLETED BY RESPIRATOR O2 PROTECTED FIREMEN.
200 FEET BEHIND AIRCRAFT THE WRECKAGE PATTERN BEGINS AS A WHITE 24 INCH WIDE PAINT SMEAR/SCRAPE ALONG THE RIGHT OF RUNWAY CENTERLINE THAT ARCHES AND EXTENDS UP APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET TOWARDS THE AIRCRAFT.
AT THE END OF THE WHITE PAINT SMEAR AND 100 FEET BEHIND THE AIRCRAFT THE RUNWAY SHOWS AN INITIAL STRIKE PATTERN OF THE PROPELLER AND A LARGE OIL STAIN. STAINS RESEMBLES EXPLOSIVE PATTERN OF BRAKE FLUID FROM RIGHT GEAR CRUSH AND PARTIAL SEPARATION.
FROM THE PROP STIKE TO THE AIRCRAFT THE DEBRIS FIELD BECOMES SIGNIFICANTLY WIDER, MORE DISPERSED, AND THE WHEEL WAS DRAGGED TO THE FINAL RESTING PLACE, LEAVING A BLACK RUBBER BURN ON THE RUNWAY. RIGHT WHEEL AT WRECKAGE IS DISFIGURED AND LAID OVER ON ITS RIGHT SIDE ATTACHED BY REMAINING FIBERGLASS SHARDS.
RIGHT WING WAS PUNCTURED BY COLLAPSED RIGHT LANDING GEAR AND FUEL WAS LEAKED. HEAT FROM SKIDDING TIRE AND METAL DRAGGING IGNITED POST CRASH FIRE ON TRAILING EDGE OF RIGHT WING BETWEEN FLAP AND AILERON. AIRCRAFT SKIDDED TOWARDS CENTER LINE AND STOPPED.
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 20 KNOTS PUSHED FIRE SLIGHTLY INBOARD TOWARDS FUSELAGE AND AWAY FROM THE INITIAL COMPROMISED WING TANK.
ONCE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP THE PILOTS REPORTED THAT THEY IMMEDIATELY EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO FIRE ON RIGHT WING.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ RECIEVED A MINOR CUT TO A FINGER WHILE EVACUATION AND BOTH PILOTS LOST THERE GLASSES DURING CRASH. PILOTS INFORMED JJM THAT THE FIRE TRUCK RESPONDED SHORTLY AFTER EVACUATION AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE.
GUSTY WINDS PREVAILED THE ENTIRE TIME INSPECTOR WAS ON SITE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.