What happened
A commuter flight operating as an air taxi was traveling between two islands in Hawaii with the pilot and eight passengers on board. Shortly after takeoff, while at an altitude of approximately 5/500 feet over the ocean, a loud bang was heard, followed by the immediate loss of all engine power. Realizing the aircraft type could not reach land, the pilot performed a ditching in the ocean.
Following the impact, all occupants exited the aircraft. One passenger managed to swim to shore, while rescue teams recovered the pilot and seven other passengers from the water approximately 80 minutes later. Tragically, one passenger died before rescuers arrived; an autopsy attributed her death to acute cardiac arrhythmia caused by hyperventilation.
Findings
An examination of the engine revealed that multiple compressor turbine blades were fractured and showed signs of thermal damage. The CT shroud also showed high-energy impact marks from blade liberation. While the secondary thermal damage prevented a definitive cause for the initial fractures, investigators noted that the engine had been operating under a Maintenance on Reliable Engines (MORE) STC inspection program.
Records indicated that while this program required frequent borescope and compressor inspections, it did not explicitly mandate a metallurgical evaluation of specific turbine blades, even though such an evaluation was recommended in the manufacturer's service bulletin. The operator reported confusion regarding the guidance documentation, which led to the omission of a required compressor turbine blade evaluation.
Additionally, investigators noted that the pilot failed to provide a required safety briefing. It was suggested that had a proper briefing occurred, passengers might have better utilized the correct flotation equipment, as some passengers inadvertently used infant life vests during the event.