Posted on: Friday, October 1, 2004
Findings on 3 air crashes released
| • | Crash victim's father wants son's remains |
By Jan TenBruggencate and Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Staff Writers
The National Transportation Safety Board this week issued reports on three air crashes in Hawai'i, including one in 2001 that resulted in the death of a student pilot on Lana'i.
In the June 14, 2001, incident, the agency affirmed an earlier report which had cited the actions of flight instructor Matt McGurk, 22, as a probable cause for the crash.
A Piper Cherokee aircraft was being used during an evening instructional flight between O'ahu and Maui in the incident. Student pilot Matthew Monczynski, 23, of Kane'ohe, was killed and McGurk was injured when the plane went down about five miles northwest of the Lana'i airport.
The report said Monczynski made a left descending turn into a cloud after being advised by his instructor to turn right. McGurk took over the controls and attempted to reverse the direction of the plane, which was at an elevation of 1,760 feet. However, the plane hit the ground before gaining sufficient altitude.
The agency said the probable cause for the crash was the instructor's inadequate planning and supervision, and his delayed reaction to his student's incorrect turn.
In a report on a July 15 accident near Lihu'e Aiport on Kaua'i, the safety board cited pilot error as causing a helicopter's main rotor to strike a tree during a firefighting operation, forcing an emergency landing that caused the aircraft to roll on its side.
Inter-Island Helicopters pilot Gary Hall was uninjured, but damage to the McDonnell Douglas 369FF helicopter owned by Smokey Mountain Helicopters Inc. was "substantial," according to the report.
Investigators said the pilot's attention had been focused on a water bucket attached to the helicopter. Investigators concluded the pilot misjudged the clearance between the tree and the main rotor blades. They cited contributing factors such as the pilot's high workload and his lack of experience with bucket operations.
The safety board also blamed pilot error for a July 7, 2002, accident at Wiliwilinui Ridge in Honolulu that damaged an Aerospatiale AS350 BA helicopter. Neither the pilot, of Schuman Aviation Co. Ltd., nor the aircraft's three passengers were injured.
The helicopter's tail rotor collided with the ground while the pilot attempted to land on downsloping terrain, according to the report. Passengers reported that as the helicopter began the approach to landing, it passed over a 6-foot-high fence and settled hard on the dirt.
The safety board said the pilot miscalculated unfavorable wind conditions. Despite numerous inquiries by the safety board, the pilot and operator failed to submit an accident report, the agency said.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
