What happened
During a nighttime departure from Honolulu, an aircraft was performing a climb at an altitude of approximately 600 feet when it encountered structural obstacles. The plane struck a wooden utility pole measuring 35 feet in height, followed by a collision with a 50-foot tubular steel microwave antenna tower. The impact caused the aircraft to crash and catch fire. There were two fatalities among the occupants of the aircraft.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the crew's inadequate preflight preparation led to the collision with the utility structures. Several environmental factors contributed to the difficulty of the flight conditions, including:
- Operations under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite deteriorating weather
- Low cloud ceilings
- Presence of rain and thunderstorm activity
- Reduced visibility of 3 miles or less