- Date
- June 11, 1989, 13:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Waipio Valley, HI
- Injuries
- 11 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N34APBeech H18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 12, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19890611015669A
- Case key
- 15919
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision to maneuver with insufficient altitude over or in a a canyon area. Factors related to the accident were: the terrain conditions and scenic air tour's lack of specific direction to its pilots concerning safety procedures for sightseeing flights.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Scenic air tours flt 21 (Beech H18, N34AP) was on an air taxi, sightseeing flt from hilo to kahului, HI. The plt took off at aprx 1300 HST. After takeoff, flt 21 proceeded nw along the coastline at an alt of about 2000 ft. the acft subsequently crashed in a scenic canyon area near a waterfall in Waipio Valley, aprx 50 mi NE of hilo. Impact occurred at an elevation of about 2800 ft, aprx 600 to 900 ft below the rim. No preimpact mechanical problem of the acft or engs was found. A passenger, who was on a previous sightseeing flt, rprtd the plt had manuevered below the rim of a canyon. Company officials rprtd that flying below rims of canyons was against company policy; however, the opns manual did not contain any guidance or cautions about such opns.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N34AP
- Reported as
- Beech H18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- BA-746
- Airframe hours
- 19,864
- Engine
- P&W R-985-AN-14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Lani Biard, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 31, 1989 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- ITO · Hilo, HI
- Destination
- Kahului, HI
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 28
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,500 total · 305 in this make and model · 3,300 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 85 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.