LAX97FA032

The noninstrument-rated commercial pilot departed in VFR conditions at twilight. En route, the pilot encountered marginal VFR conditions. Radar data showed that the aircraft made a gradual left turn toward rising terrain, as it entered an area of poor weather. Subsequently, it flew into rising wooded terrain at an elevation of about 1,600 feet, near the top of a mountainous ridge. Witnesses in a sparsely inhabited rural area located about 3 miles from the accident site reported that the light condition was 'pitch black,' when the aircraft flew low over their location, and that instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed. 'Torrential' rains, which had just ended at their location, continued in the area where the aircraft impacted terrain. No preaccident mechanical malfunction of the aircraft was found. Another pilot, who had flown the aircraft recently, stated that the heading indicator would precess 30 degrees in 10 minutes. The pilot's flight instructor said that he (the pilot) was working toward an instrument rating, but was not yet qualified to fly by reference to instruments.

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 aircraft departing Molokai at 1849 and proceeding east-bound along the south shore of Molokai into the Pailolo Channel, which separates Molokai from Maui. Over the channel, the target made a wide left turn back (westbound) toward the east end of Molokai until radar contact is lost near the accident site at 1905. There is a 2 minute and 22 second interruption in radar data starting at 1859:12 when the aircraft is about 5 miles west of Honokahua, on Maui. The track resumes at 1901:34 when the aircraft is 4 miles northwest of Nakalele Point, tracking northeast, and is turning westbound toward Molokai. While eastbound along the south shore of Molokai and in the Pailolo Channel, the aircraft's mode C altitude data indicates approximately 1,700 feet with a brief climb to 2,100 feet. When radar tracking is resumed 4 miles northwest of Nakalele Point after the interruption in radar data, the aircraft's mode C altitude is 1,600 feet. As the aircraft turns left and tracks westbound the altitude reaches a minimum of 900 feet as the aircraft crosses the eastern shoreline of Molokai after which it again climbed, reaching 1,700 feet approximately at the accident site.

Review of the recorded air-ground communications tapes at the Honolulu CERAP disclosed that the pilot contacted Maui Approach Control at 1902:15 and reported "inbound for landing," over Nakalele Point, "with the information." The controller issued a discrete transponder code of 1737. At 1904:28, the controller instructed the pilot to report Nakalele Point. The pilot asked the controller to repeat the instruction, which the controller did, without acknowledgment from the pilot.

The tapes revealed that at 1905:02 the pilot acknowledged a heading issued to another aircraft. The controller issued a heading of 270 degrees to Aloha 161 at 1904:53, and Aloha 161 read back the heading at 1904:59. At 1905:02, the pilot of the accident aircraft read back the 270-degree heading assignment. At 1905:03, the controller clarified that the 270-degree heading was for Aloha 161, and again instructed the pilot of the accident aircraft to report Nakalele Point.

At 1905:10, the pilot radioed that he could not see Nakalele Point. The controller replied, "say again, your radio is broken and unreadable. You can't see Nakalele Point?" At 1905:20, the pilot again transmitted that he was unable to see Nakalele Point. Radar data indicates that at this time the aircraft was westbound, approximately 1 mile from the accident site, and that Nakalele Point was at the pilot's 6 o'clock position about 12 miles behind him. At 1905:22, the controller instructed the pilot to report 10 miles northwest of the airport.

At 1905:39, the controller radioed the aircraft was in radar contact 3 miles west of Cape Halawa, going westbound. The controller asked, "you going to Honolulu?" There was no further radio communication from the aircraft.

There were seven witnesses on the eastern end of Molokai who saw the lights of the aircraft and/or heard the aircraft as it proceeded westbound and passed over their locations.

According to the Maui Police Department Report of the accident, two Molokai residents were fishing on the east coastline of the island and heard the airplane fly overhead at a low altitude from east to west on the evening of the accident. They reported that it was dark at the time, raining heavily, and that there was thunder.

Another person, a former airline mechanic, observed the aircraft from the veranda of his weekend home, which is near sea level on the north side of Honouliwai Bay (east end of Molokai). His friend called him outside to see a low flying aircraft. By the time he got out on the veranda, the airplane had flown over his house from east to west at a 400 to 500 feet altitude, and was climbing on a westerly heading into rising terrain. The engines sounded normal to him. It had rained earlier, but at the time it was drizzling under an overcast cloud layer. He stated that up the mountain in the area into which the aircraft climbed, it was very dark and still raining heavily. He could see from his house across the channel to Maui and could see the beacon of Kahului Airport.

Two witnesses who were inside their residence at the Puu O Hoku Ranch reported that the aircraft passed over their position at a low altitude. One of them was talking on the telephone and reported that the engine noise interrupted her ability to hear the conversation. Both reported that the engines sounded smooth and powerful, and that the aircraft must have been going slow because it didn't pass quickly. They reported that conditions outside were very dark with very low clouds and that a "torrential" rain had just ended.

Two other witnesses observed the aircraft while outside their residence, which is about 1/4 mile west of the previous witnesses at a slightly higher elevation. One of these witnesses was the ranch manager who reported that intense rain had stopped about 5 minutes prior, and that his rain gauge showed that 1.8 inches of rain had fallen at that location in the previous 45 minutes. These witnesses also reported that it was very dark and that the ceiling was less than 1,000 feet and the visibility about 1/8 mile in fog and drizzle. They observed the aircraft turn to pass near the ranch which has the only lights in the area. The ranch manager said that he was attracted to the aircraft by the loud, "throaty" engine sound, and that he observed the aircraft's position and strobe lights as it passed over his position. The location where they observed the aircraft from is at latitude 21 degrees 08.56 minutes north, and longitude 156 degrees 44.34 minutes west (GPS). The ranch manager estimated the aircraft's altitude to be "about 2 pine trees" (approximately 200 feet agl).

The pilot of another aircraft, who was chartered to transport other people to the same political function on Molokai, heard the pilot on the radio in the minutes before the accident. This pilot had already brought one group of people from Molokai to Kahului and was en route back to Molokai to pick up a second group. After departure from Kahului about 1855, he was over Nakalele Point when Maui Approach Control called VFR traffic at 2 o'clock, 3 miles. Seconds later, N1701K contacted Maui Approach from that pos