9 dead in aircraft crash at Dillingham Airfield, officials say

Nine people are dead after a sky dive tour twin engine aircraft crashed in a fiery heap at Dillingham Airfield, Hawaii Department of Transportation officials said tonight.

“With extreme sadness HDOT reports there were 9 souls on board the King Air twin engine plane that went down near Dillingham Airfield with no apparent survivors,” officials said in a tweet.

Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel Neves said that when crews arrived the plane was fully engulfed with flames on the airfield’s fence line away from the runway.

Neves said the names of the passengers are known but were not being released yet. Some surviving family members were at the tower, he said.

Some 14 units and 39 personnel were dispatched to Dillingham at 6:24 p.m. and the fire was under control 20 minutes later, fire Capt. Kevin Mokulehua said.

The department’s Air 1 helicopter was also conducting an aerial search of the area to look for debris or any other evidence.

Neves said the debris field was relatively small — about 50 feet by 50 feet.

“We’re still gathering information on the intent of the flight,” Neves said earlier.

Honolulu police received the initial report at about 6:20 p.m.

Honolulu Emergency Services Department officials said they received a call at 6:26 p.m. and that EMS personnel “assisted with the death pronouncements of nine people involved in an aircraft crash.” They did not immediately know the gender or ages of the victims.

Police closed both directions of Farrington Highway fronting the airfield following the crash. Traffic was backed up, including school buses with children who were headed to nearby Camp Erdman.

#HDH update: With extreme sadness HDOT reports there were 9 souls on board the King Air twin engine plane that went down near Dillingham Airfield with no apparent survivors.

— Hawaii DOT (@DOTHawaii) June 22, 2019