A small plane crashed while on a skydiving excursion in Oahu and erupted into flames, killing all nine people aboard, Hawaii authorities said.
The King Air twin-engine plane went down Friday evening near Dillingham Airfield with no apparent survivors, the Hawaii Department of Transportation tweeted.
#HDH update: With extreme sadness HDOT reports there were 9 souls on board the King Air twin engine plane that went down near Dillingham Airfield with no apparent survivors.
— Hawaii DOT (@DOTHawaii) June 22, 2019
It was on a skydiving excursion when it crashed, Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel P. Neves said.
When firefighters arrived, the plane was engulfed in flames and they worked to extinguish them. Witnesses saw the plane coming inbound before it went down onto a fence line, away from the runway, Neves said.
GRAPHIC VIDEO: Witnesses at the scene of a twin-engine airplane crash capture footage of the fiery wreckage. https://t.co/pyosOOE4VD pic.twitter.com/wGZwWqgfi3
— Hawaii News Now (@HawaiiNewsNow) June 22, 2019
“In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident what we’ve had,” he told reporters at the scene, about an hour’s drive north of Honolulu.
“We had some helicopters with the military but this is a civilian plane that went down and with that many people on board,” Neves told CNN affiliate KGMB.
Honolulu Fire Chief Manny Neves: “In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident we’ve had.” Breaking details here: https://t.co/pyosOOE4VD
— Hawaii News Now (@HawaiiNewsNow) June 22, 2019
The names of the passengers have not been released. Some family members were at the airfield when the plane went down, Neves said.
The Federal Aviation Administration will be taking over the investigation.
The airfield is a general aviation airport operated by the department under a 25-year lease from the U.S. Army, Hawaii’s government website says.
The state leases 272 acres of the 650-acre Dillingham Military Reservation and operates the single 5,000-foot runway primarily for commercial glider and sky diving operations.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
