Feds probe 'quality' of repairs on plane in Hawaii crash

Officials remain at the scene of Friday's deadly skydiving plane crash in Hawaii.

Federal investigators will review repair and inspection records on the skydiving plane that became inverted before crashing shortly after takeoff on Oahu's North Shore, killing all 11 people on board in the deadliest civil aviation accident since 2011.

The same plane sustained substantial damage to its tail section in a 2016 accident while carrying skydivers over Northern California.

Repairs were then made to get the plane back into service, National Transportation Safety Board officials said at a news conference Sunday.
Officials say the plane was equipped to carry 13 people.

Skydiving plane crashes in Hawaii, killing all 11 aboard

A skydiving plane crashed and burst into flames just after takeoff from a small seaside airfield on the island of Oahu, killing 11 people, officials said Saturday.

Authorities initially reported that nine people died in the crash Friday evening and that three of them were customers of a skydiving company and six were employees.

But the Hawaii Department of Transportation tweeted Saturday that officials later "confirmed there were 11 people on board the plane" and no survivors.

The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air plane took off from Dillingham Airfield on the north shore of the island.

The plane was engulfed in flames when firefighters made it to the crash site about an hour drive from Honolulu.

The victims were not identified.

Nine killed in Hawaii twin-engine plane crash

A light aircraft crashed in northern Hawaii killing nine passengers Friday, authorities said.

The twin engine King Air plane went down near an airfield on Oahu island's North Shore, according to Hawaii's Department of Transport (HDOT).

"With extreme sadness HDOT reports there were 9 souls on board... with no apparent survivors," it said on its Twitter account.

A plume of smoke rises after an airplane crash in Haleiwa, Hawaii, US, June 21, 2019 in this image obtained from social media. LuckyWeLive.com via REUTERS

Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel P. Neves confirmed there were no survivors. He said the aircraft was a skydiving plane that crashed at 6.30pm (0430 GMT) on takeoff, according to local news channel Hawaii Now.

TV footage showed flames billowing into the air from the wreckage.

According to its website, the single-runway Dillingham Airport primarily serves commercial glider and sky diving operations.

Honolulu mayor Kirk Caldwell said in a tweet he was "closely following" developments, and that "our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims."

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