Two people lost their lives in a tragic plane crash near the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii on Tuesday afternoon, as dramatic footage of the aircraft spiralling out of control above a highway went viral on social media.
The ill-fated flight was a Kamaka Air Cessna 208 Caravan conducting a training exercise when it suddenly lost control and crashed into an unoccupied building slated for demolition, according to Hawaii News Now.
The crash claimed the lives of both pilots on board, with neither surviving the impact. Emergency services, including the Honolulu Fire Department, Honolulu Police Department, and the City’s Department of Emergency Management, responded swiftly to the scene.
Videos circulating on social media captured the aircraft flying at a dangerously low altitude before crashing. Another video showed the wreckage engulfed in flames, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the incident.
Watch: Hawaii plane crash
JUST IN: Small plane crashes into building near Honolulu Airport, killing both people on board pic.twitter.com/DuCs4PifkP
— BNO News (@BNONews) December 18, 2024
Witness recounts tragedy
A witness working nearby described hearing the impact and seeing smoke rising from the wreckage. “I was working, and all of a sudden, there was one big boom,” he told Hawaii News Now. “I looked out and saw clouds of smoke. My coworkers said a plane had crashed right next to our building.”
Pilot’s final moments
The victims have not yet been officially identified, but sources close to the families revealed one of the deceased as Hiram Defries, a trainee pilot in his 20s. The pilot’s final moments were reportedly captured in audio transmissions from Kamaka Air 689, providing a harrowing account of the incident.
“We’re out of control here,” the pilot told the control tower. The tower replied, “Kamaka Flight 689, you’re turning right, correct?”. When the pilot confirmed that the plane was out of control, the control tower urged the pilot to land on any available runway as possible.
