Beechcraft H18 N7969K

Summary

On 22 February 1997 at about 16:23 local time, a Beechcraft H18 registered N7969K, operated by Polynesian Airwars, was involved in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 February 1997 at 16:23

Classification

Accident

Location

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Nearest airport

Honolulu International (HNL)

Coordinates

21.3491, -157.8792

Aircraft

Beechcraft H18

Registration

N7969K

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Polynesian Airwars

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Lanai

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

LAX97FA108

2 people had minor injuries.

loss of aircraft control for undetermined reason(s).

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was loaded with mail & freight within 57 lbs of its max takeoff weight limit. No malfunction was noted during start or taxi. The pilot made a near-midfield intersection departure from runway 8L at 0622:35 local time. Seconds earlier, a Boeing 747 had completed its landing roll-out on runway 4R, which crossed runway 8L near its departure end. Winds were from 285 deg at 2 kts. The pilot & loader (a private pilot) said nothing unusual occurred during takeoff until the aircraft climbed to 100' agl, then 'suddenly the airplane yawed to the left as though the left engine had lost power.' Despite use of full right rudder, directional control was lost, & the pilot decreased the pitch attitude because of 'severe yawing and rolling tendencies.' The airplane's left wing tip impacted the right side of the runway, the tricycle gear collapsed, & the airplane slid to a stop & was consumed by fire. Due to fire damage & lack of accurate records, neither the total fuel load, the freight's actual weight, the cargo's preimpact location within the aircraft, nor the adequacy of the cargo tie down system could be validated. Weight & balance documents filed with the FAA were at variance with 'duplicate' documents held by the operator. Exam of the engines did not reveal evidence of a preimpact failure. Propeller ground scars on the runway indicated both engines were operating during impact. The accident occurred during the pilot's last flight as an employee with the company.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.