2 hurt in Lihue plane crash; commercial flights not affected

Christie Wilson, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Updated ·2 min read

Dec. 16—State Department of Transportation spokesperson Jai Cunningham said the aircraft involved in the crash was a private, general aviation tenant at Lihue Airport.

Two people were seriously injured around noon Thursday when a single-engine Beechcraft BE77 crashed just after takeoff from Lihue Airport.

State Department of Transportation spokes ­person Jai Cunningham said the accident occurred about 100 feet outside state property at the airport and did not cause any delays or other disruptions in commercial flights or other air traffic in and out of the Kauai airport.

According to a preliminary report from the county, first responders were dispatched to the airport shortly before 12 :10 p.m.

after receiving reports of an aircraft crash in the area. Cunningham said the crash happened at 12 :07 p.m.

Personnel with the Lihue Fire Station, state Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, American Medical Response and the Kauai Police Department responded to the incident.

Kauai County officials said the two people sustained injuries and were transported in stable but serious condition to Wilcox Medical Center.

Further details were not immediately available, but Cunningham said the aircraft involved in the crash was a general aviation tenant at Lihue Airport.

Joe Quentin, commander of the Kauai Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, said the male pilot, who was accompanied by his son, is a member of the Civil Air Patrol but that the aircraft involved in the crash is not a Civil Air Patrol plane. He said the pilot had more than 200 hours of flight time.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, according to an FAA official.

This is the third aviation accident to occur on Kauai this year.

Four people were killed Feb. 22 when a military-contracted helicopter crashed during a training mission at the Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands. Two men were killed March 20 when a Civil Air Patrol plane flying in poor weather conditions crashed in Kalalau Valley.