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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, January 15, 2010

Wreckage of plane crash near Palolo will be removed tomorrow


Advertiser Staff

The National Transportation Safety Board today delayed the removal of the wreckage of a single-engine aircraft that slammed into a steep ridge near Kaau Crater on Sunday to take it to an FAA hangar for further inspection.

Longtime Honolulu veterinarian Nicholas Palumbo and his son Timothy were killed when the Piper Cherokee hit the mountainside about 2 p.m. Sunday.
NTSB investigator Zoe Keliher said in an email that the plane was prpeared today for removal tomorrow. The plan is to airlift the off the mountainside and take it to a trailer park at the top of Laukahi Street in Waialae Iki.
"The wind conditions are forecast to be favorable and there does not apear to be anythign that will stall the recovery efforts any further," Keliher said. "The wreckage will be taken to a private hangar at the Honolulu International Airport."
Keliher and an inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration will perform a tear down inspection of the engine and airframe in an effort to assess if there were any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions, failures or anomalies, Keliher said in the email.
A specialist from the Washington, D.C. NTSB will arrive on Wednesday to perform a detailed investigation of the Air Traffic Control Facility's involvement with the plane. "
"This is not unusual and is a normal step in the NTSB conducting a thorough accident investigation," Keliher said.