King Air down in Oahu

[Airbubba]

It was a King Air A90 N256TA. Latest reports say 11 people onboard, no survivors.

Authorities increase death toll in 'tragic’ skydiving plane crash to 11

By HNN Staff | June 21, 2019 at 6:57 PM HST - Updated June 22 at 9:48 AM

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - A twin-engine skydiving plane crashed on Oahu’s North Shore shortly after taking off Friday for a “sunset tandem” flight, all 11 people believed to have been on board.

Nine people were killed when a skydiving aircraft crashed on Oahu's North Shore on Friday. (Image: Jordan Li)

The aircraft ― a Beechcraft 65 King Air operated by the Oahu Parachute Center ― crashed about 6:30 p.m. in an area near the western edge of the Dillingham Airfield.

In the hours after the crash, state officials said nine people ― three customers and six employees ― had died.
But Saturday morning, an FAA spokesperson told Hawaii News Now that their investigation showed 11 people had been on board the aircraft at the time of the accident.And incident logs released by the Honolulu Police Department indicated 11 people had perished in the crash.
When firefighters arrived at the airfield, they found the wreckage of the craft fully engulfed in flames. Photos from the area showed smoke from the fire could be seen from miles away.

“We saw big smoke. We saw big fire, firemen trying to put it out. Crazy,” said witness Justin Kepa.

About an hour after the crash, a somber Fire Chief Manuel Neves told reporters that there were “no survivors.”He said that family members of those on board the aircraft were on the ground when the crash happened and may have seen the plane go down.

“It is very difficult. In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident we’ve had," Neves said.
“We had some helicopters with the military, but this is a civilian plane with that many people on board.”

State Transportation Department officials said the FAA and NTSB will be investigating the crash.“We are mourning this terrible tragedy," DOT Director Jade Butay told reporters Friday night.
"During this difficult time, we want to express our deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of the flight crew and passengers.”

Hawaii News Now spoke to a skydiver who’s been a volunteer instructor, and who raced to the scene after hearing about the crash. He said the skydiving community is in mourning.

On board the craft, he said, were three students, five skydivers and the pilot.On Twitter on Friday night, Mayor Kirk Caldwell said he was following developments on the crash. “At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims,” he wrote.

Neves said firefighters worked Friday night to secure the debris field ― a relatively small area that covered about 50 feet by 50 feet. The crash was near the airfield’s fence line.

The Dillingham Airfield will be closed indefinitely in the wake of the crash, the state said. Farrington Highway in the area has since reopened after being blocked off for several hours.