Two Dead After Small Plane Crashes Into a Building

Two people are dead after a small plane crashed into a building in Hawaii. No one inside the building was harmed, as it was abandoned and awaiting demolition.

The crash occurred just after 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon near Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. According to Hawaii News Now, the Kamaka Air Cessna 208 Caravan had been conducting a training flight when it lost control and crashed into the state-owned building. Kamaka Air was founded in 1993 and operates as an inter-island airline in Hawaii, providing air cargo services.

The plane hit an exterior stairwell area of the building and the blaze was confined to the outside of the building. Moments before the crash, dash cam footage taken from a nearby highway captured the plane going down. (Warning: footage may be disturbing.)

JUST IN: Small plane crashes into building near Honolulu Airport, killing both people on board pic.twitter.com/DuCs4PifkP

— BNO News (@BNONews) December 18, 2024

Other video footage caught the fiery aftermath of the crash, as billows of black smoke could be seen emanating from the site.

One of the victims was identified as a graduate of a private prep school in Honolulu in his 20s who was a pilot in training. Shortly before the crash, the pilot could be heard in audio transmissions telling the control tower that they had lost control. After being asked whether they were turning right, the pilot said, "We are, we have, uh, we’re out of control here." 

"OK, Kamaka 689, if you can land, if you can level it off, that’s fine. Any runway, any place you can do," the tower responded.

Witness Nancy Timko, who works just down the street from the crash site, recalled seeing the plane flying low moments before impact.

“I was sitting at my desk and all of a sudden, I saw a small plane fly past my office window, which is on the seventh floor," Timko said. "And I went, ‘Oh, he’s really, really low,' and he started banking and going back towards the airport, and then I heard a loud bang."

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the crash, and said that the flight crew reported control anomalies not long after takeoff. Investigators will document the crash site and plane wreckage, which will be taken to a secure facility for further evaluation.

Kamaka Air CEO David Hinderland said in a statement: "It is with heavy hearts that Kamaka Air confirms the loss of two members of the Kamaka Air family in an accident at 3:13 this afternoon near the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport."

"We are not releasing the names of the pilots until family members have had a chance to process this tragedy, and we hope the media will give them the same consideration," Hinderland continued. "At this time, we ask for your patience, as you know the urgency of getting correct information that not only offers a clear understanding of what happened, but to assure that the information is handled appropriately."