Medical transport flight with 3 crew on board missing off Maui

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
·2 min read
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Dec. 16—UPDATE: 6:30 a.m

The U.S. Coast Guard continued its search this morning for a Hawaii Life Flight aircraft operated by Global Medical Response that went off radar while enroute to pick up a patient on Hawaii island Thursday night.

The medical transport flight with three crew members reportedly went off radar at 9:27 p.m. There were no patients onboard at the time.

"Global Medical Response can confirm that one of our Hawaii Life Flight emergency fixed-wing airplanes based in Maui, went off radar while enroute to pick up a patient in Waimea, Big Island," a company spokesperson said in a statement this morning.

"We are working with the Coast Guard and rescue teams, providing all information, including last known coordinates," the company said.

The company has temporarily halted all Hawaii Life Flight transports.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert notice to public safety agencies, pilots and airports at around 9:30 p.m., triggering a search for the missing aircraft.

The U.S. Coast Guard notified the FAA that it located a debris field about 16 miles south of Hana in the area that a Beechcraft King Air 90 lost radar contact and went missing, FAA officials said this morning.

The aircraft departed Kahului Airport and was headed to the Waimea-Kohala Airport at the time.

Coast Guard aircraft and boats continue searching an area between Maui and the Big Island in stormy conditions.

Previous coverage:

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a report of a downed aircraft with three people on board in the Maui Channel.

At around 10:15 p.m. Thursday, the Coast Guard said via Twitter that its Small Boat Station Maui and multiple aircraft from Air Station Barbers Point were responding to the report.

The Fast Response Cutter William Hart, a patrol boat from Station Maui, a MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter, and a C-130 from Air Station Barbers Point are involved in the search, officials said.

It's the second report of a downed aircraft in Hawaii today. At around noon at Lihue Airport on Kauai, two people were hurt after a privately owned single-engine plane crashed just after takeoff.