What happened
During a repositioning mission traveling from Pago Pago toward Honolulu, the crew of an unidentified aircraft experienced a total loss of power. As the aircraft approached the Hawaiian Islands from the southern direction, the flight crew notified Air Traffic Control that both engines had ceased functioning.
In response to the dual engine failure, the pilot initiated a descent to lower altitude with the intention of performing an emergency ditching in the ocean. The event occurred approximately 100 km south of Honolulu. Following the impact with the water, the two pilots were successfully recovered by rescue teams. However, the aircraft subsequently sank and remains lost at sea.
Findings
The investigation into the loss of the aircraft focused on the cause of the simultaneous engine shutdowns. The primary factor identified was fuel exhaustion, which led to the failure of both engines. It is suspected that either the onboard fuel supply was inadequate for the planned distance between Pago Pago and Honolulu, or that the crew encountered significant headwinds that accelerated the rate of fuel consumption during the flight.