Sling Aircraft (Pty) SLING LSA N83PF

Summary

On 25 May 2026 at about 21:10 local time, a Sling Aircraft (Pty) SLING LSA registered N83PF, operated by Pacific Flight Academy LLC, was involved in an accident near Makanalua, Hawaii, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

25 May 2026 at 21:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Makanalua, Hawaii, United States

Nearest airport

Kalaupapa (LUP)

Coordinates

21.2073, -156.9810

Aircraft

Sling Aircraft (Pty) SLING LSA

Registration

N83PF

Category

Airplane

Year built

2024

Engines

1

Operator

Pacific Flight Academy LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Honolulu → Kalaupapa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC26LA044

2 people had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On May 25, 2026, about 1110 Hawaii-Aleutian Standard time, a Sling Aircraft LSA, N83PF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kalaupapa, Hawaii Airport (LUP). The two pilots onboard sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was being operated by Pacific Fight Academy, a 14 CFR part 61 flight school based at Honolulu Airport (HNL), Honolulu, Hawaii. According to the private pilot, he and his pilot-rated passenger were on a cross-country flight to the Island of Molokai to build time. They flew along the coastline of Molokai and were approaching LUP, the engine began to run rough, white smoke entered the cockpit through the air vent and the engine appeared to be losing power. The pilot shut down the engine and maneuvered the airplane to line up with the runway. He felt they would not make the runway and initiated a right turn toward a nearby bay to avoid landing on the rocky coast. The airplane contacted the water and immediately became inverted; both pilots self-extricated. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, fuselage, and rudder. The accident airplane was equipped with a 100-horsepower Rotax, 912 iS Sport series engine. During the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge’s follow-up examination of the engine, the No. 2 cylinder exhaust valve stem was observed to be fractured from the valve spring retainer, the valve stem had fallen into the No. 2 combustion chamber, metal fragments were present in the valve covers on all cylinders. Figure 1 Fractured valve stem The engine was retained by the NTSB for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.