Posted on: Monday, July 26, 2004

Human error cited in 2001 plane crash

Associated Press

Human error is being blamed for a June 2001 plane crash on Lana'i that killed a student pilot and injured his instructor, according to a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The pilot — possibly confused by weather or darkness — made a left turn into clouds when his flight instructor told him to turn right, according to an NTSB report released last week.

Matthew Monczynski, 23, of Kane'ohe, was killed in the crash of the Piper Cherokee at 8:44 p.m. on June 14, 2001. Instructor Matt McGurk, 22, also of O'ahu, was injured but was found at the scene about five hours after the crash.

According to the report, Monczynski was working toward a private pilot's license and his training flight plan included a night landing at the Kahului Airport or the Lana'i Airport.

Monczynski and McGurk were over Lana'i when weather conditions deteriorated and McGurk instructed Monczynski to make a right turn.

"Instead the student made a left descending turn and they entered instrument meteorological conditions," the report said. "The CFI (chief flight instructor, McGurk) took the controls and initiated a climb on a heading of approximately 270 degrees when the airplane impacted the ground in a level attitude."

The crash site was reported to be at 1,760 feet elevation in an area known locally as the "bombing range," 5.4 miles northwest from the Lana'i Airport, the report said.

No mechanical problems were found with the engine. Damage to the propellers and slash marks on the ground indicated the propellers had been rotating when they struck the ground.

The report prepared by investigator-in-charge Tealeye Cornejo will go to the NTSB for a final finding of probable cause.

Monczynski had been a Navy aircraft technician. An autopsy found no evidence of drugs or other chemicals in his system.

The Piper belonged to Jahn P. Mueller, who operated a flight instruction school, Mueller Aviation, at the Honolulu airport.