At about 20:31 Hawaii standard time, the six occupants of a Rockwell NA-265-65 were killed when the corporate jet struck mountains on a night visual approach to the Kaunakakai Airport on the island of Molokai. The flight was en route from Maui when the crew reported they did not have the airport in sight and the pilot requested the VOR/GPS-A approach. At about 20:30, the crew reported the airport in sight and canceled the IFR clearance. The mode C reported altitude at this point was 1,800 feet. The aircraft impacted the side of a mountain ridge about 100 feet from the 1,400-foot top, about one mile southeast of the VOR and 3.3 miles southwest of the airport.
May 10, Kaunakakai, Hawaii / Rockwell Sabreliner
At about 20:31 Hawaii standard time, the six occupants of a Rockwell NA-265-65 were killed when the corporate jet struck mountains on a night visual approach to the Kaunakakai Airport on the island of Molokai. The flight was en route from Maui when the crew reported they did not have the airport in sight and the pilot requested the VOR/GPS-A approach. At about 20:30, the crew reported the airport in sight and canceled the IFR clearance. The mode C reported altitude at this point was 1,800 feet. The aircraft impacted the side of a mountain ridge about 100 feet from the 1,400-foot top, about one mile southeast of the VOR and 3.3 miles southwest of the airport....
Key Takeaways:
- A corporate jet crashed into mountains during a night visual approach to Kaunakakai Airport on Molokai, resulting in the death of all six occupants.
- The crew initially struggled to locate the airport, requesting a VOR/GPS-A approach, but then canceled their IFR clearance after reporting the airport in sight.
- The aircraft impacted a mountain ridge at approximately 1,300 feet, despite having reported an altitude of 1,800 feet just moments before canceling IFR.
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