“Hang on” were the final recorded words from the pilot of a Hawaii Life Flight medical transport plane that spiraled into the ocean off Kaupo, Maui, on Dec. 15, killing all three crew members aboard, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The report provides a timeline and other details surrounding the ill-fated flight but does not offer a probable cause for the tragedy, a finding that is not expected for months, if not longer. However, radio transmissions between a Honolulu air traffic controller and the pilot, identified by Hawaii Life Flight as Brian Treptow, suggest the trouble began roughly 20 minutes into the night flight from Kahului Airport as he was navigating his initial approach to Waimea-Kohala Airport on Hawaii island.
Another pilot flying in the area at the time in a Piper PA-44 airplane from Hilo to Honolulu reported seeing the doomed aircraft “well above and to the north of his northwesterly flight path,” the NTSB report said. The pilot saw the medical transport plane start to bank right and then enter “a spiraling right descending turn, which steepened as the descent increased.”
The pilot told investigators he watched the aircraft continue its plunge until it hit the water and he lost sight of its lights.
The NTSB report said the Hawaii Life Flight plane, a Raytheon Aircraft Co. C90A twin-engine, turbine-powered airplane, sank in open ocean with an estimated depth of 6,000 feet. Its wreckage and the three crew members — who included flight nurse Courtney Parry and flight paramedic Gabriel Camacho — have not been recovered.
In a statement Thursday, a Hawaii Life Flight spokesperson said the company needs “to respect the investigative process” and referred any questions about the crash to the NTSB.
“Hawaii Life Flight is deeply appreciative of the continued support from the community and our partners in care during this challenging time,” the statement said. “The NTSB has released their preliminary factual report on this accident. We anticipate the final report to take a year or more.”
The medical transport flight departed from Kahului Airport at 8:53 p.m. Dec. 15 on an instrument flight rules flight plan en route to pick up a patient at the Hawaii island airport for transport to Honolulu, the NTSB report said. Two minutes after takeoff, Treptow informed the Maui air traffic controller the plane was at 1,000 feet above sea level and climbing to 11,000 feet, according to archived voice communications from the Federal Aviation Administration.
At 9:03 p.m., after being told to switch communications to the Honolulu Air Route Traffic Control Center, Treptow reported the aircraft was level at 11,000 feet. At 9:04 p.m. the controller asked whether the pilot would climb to 13,000 feet, and Treptow responded in the affirmative, the NTSB report said.
The flight continued east-southeast heading along Maui’s northern coastline before turning south along the predetermined flight route, the report noted. At 9:08 p.m. Treptow was further instructed to turn right and given new headings. A minute later the pilot was told to descend to 12,000 feet, and a minute after that to 8,000 feet, according to the NTSB report.
At 9:12 p.m. the controller gave Treptow another heading and cleared the flight to fly directly to a fixed navigation point for its initial approach to Waimea-Kohala Airport, which he acknowledged.
A minute later, at 9:13 p.m., when the controller tried to confirm that the pilot was flying as directed, Treptow replied, in part, referring to the plane’s registration number, “Uhh, 13GZ is off navigation here. … We’re gonna … we’re gonna give it a try.”
The controller immediately offered further instructions for a right heading and to maintain altitude at 8,000 feet, the report said, but 11 seconds later came Treptow’s final radio transmission, “Hang on.”
An alert about the missing plane was issued by the FAA at 9:27 p.m., and an extensive search was launched by the U.S. Coast Guard, with portions of wreckage found floating near the flight’s last known location, the NTSB report said. The search was officially suspended Dec. 19.
The report also noted that cloud conditions were clear around the time of the plane’s disappearance, and visibility was 10 miles.
The airplane was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder and an underwater acoustical beacon, as well as a cockpit-mounted Airborne Image Recording System, none of which have been recovered.
The narrative on the crash ends with the statement that “deep-water search and recovery efforts are pending,” but the agency did not immediately respond to a Honolulu Star-Advertiser request to elaborate.
In the wake of the crash, Hawaii Life Flight, which has been operating in Hawaii since 2010, suspended service in what it termed a “safety stand down.” Gov. Josh Green’s emergency proclamation allowing aircraft and medical personnel from other states to supplement interisland medical transport services expires today.
In the meantime, the community at large continues to mourn the three crew members lost in the Dec. 15 accident. A post Wednesday on Hawaii Life Flight’s Facebook page announced that a celebration of life will be held for Parry at 11 a.m. Jan. 15 at Kamaole Beach Park III in Kihei.
Memorial services for Treptow and Camacho have not been publicly announced. All three crew members were honored during somber candlelight gatherings held at sunset Dec. 22 at beaches across the state and on Facebook Live.
Previous crashes involving medical transport aircraft have occurred in Hawaii in years past.
On March 8, 2006, three people were killed when a Hawaii Air Ambulance Cessna 414 crashed into a car dealership on Hana Highway near Kahului Airport on its way to pick up a patient. The NTSB determined the company’s inadequate pilot training was a contributing factor in the crash and that the pilot failed to maintain a minimum controllable speed after one of the aircraft’s two engines failed for undetermined reasons.
On Jan. 31, 2004, three crew members died when a Hawaii Air Ambulance Cessna 414A slammed into a forested area on the slopes of Mauna Kea on its way to pick up a patient at Hilo Airport. An NTSB report indicated the pilot disregarded an in-flight advisory about bad weather conditions and low visibility.
NTSB Preliminary Report – H… by Honolulu Star-Advertiser
