Hilo - Kahului

On June 11, 1989 at 01:30 PM, Hilo - Kahului experienced a crash involving Beechcraft H18, operated by Scenic Air Tours, with the event recorded near Waipio Valley Hawaii.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

11 people were known to be on board, 11 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 10, passenger fatalities: 10, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Scenic Air Tours flight 21 (Beech H18, N34AP) was on an air taxi, sightseeing flight from Hilo to Kahului, HI. The pilot took off at approximately 1300 hst. After takeoff, flight 21 proceeded northwest along the coastline at an altitude of about 2,000 feet. The aircraft subsequently crashed in a scenic canyon area near a waterfall in Waipio Valley, approximately 50 miles northeast of Hilo. Impact occurred at an elevation of about 2,800 feet, approximately 600 to 900 feet below the rim. No preimpact mechanical problem of the aircraft or engines was found. A passenger, who was on a previous sightseeing flight, reported the pilot had maneuvered below the rim of a canyon. Company officials reported that flying below rims of canyons was against company policy; however, the operations manual did not contain any guidance or cautions about such operations. All 11 occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration N34AP, MSN BA-746, year of manufacture 1967.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 20.1180°, -155.5844°.