What happened
On the evening of 22 July, an Empress Airlines flight, operating as Flight 301, was preparing for a scheduled international service from Honolulu to Nadi, Auckland, and Sydney. The aircraft had previously arrived in Honolulu earlier that morning as CPA Flight 323 from Vancouver.
During the takeoff sequence at 22:38 local time, the crew received a fire warning for the number one engine roughly two minutes after liftoff. In response to the emergency, the pilot feathered the number one propeller and notified air traffic control of the intention to return to the airport. Because the aircraft's weight exceeded the maximum allowable landing weight, the crew performed a fuel jettisoning procedure, discharging 35,000 lb of fuel. This process was finished at 23:06.
The flight was subsequently vectored toward the ILS final approach for runway 08. While the approach proceeded normally on three engines, the aircraft reached the runway threshold and began its landing flare at an altitude of about 20 feet. At this point, a go-around was initiated. During this maneuver, the aircraft experienced a sharp left bank and veer. The left wing tip made contact with the ground roughly 700 feet past the runway threshold and 550 feet from the centerline. As the aircraft continued its path, it underwent progressive disintegration and eventually collided with heavy earth-moving machinery located approximately 970 feet from the runway centerline.
Findings
The accident occurred because the crew attempted a go-around while the aircraft was in a full landing configuration, which resulted in insufficient airspeed and altitude to maintain control.