Video: 2 killed after plane goes out of control, crashes into vacant building near Hawaii airport

Two people were killed after a plane crashed into an abandoned building near Honolulu’s Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Hawaii on Tuesday, The Independent reported.

The Kamaka Air 689 flight had just departed from Honolulu airport and was en route to Lanai when the pilot reported losing control. “We are, we have, uh we’re out of control here,” the pilot warned the air traffic control before the crash.

Air traffic controllers advised the pilot to attempt a landing on any available runway. Kamaka 689 was advised, “If you can land, if you can level it off, that’s fine. Any runway, any place you can do.”

According to the Hawaii Department of Transportation (DOT), the pilot made adjustments to minimise the crash’s impact, but the plane ultimately collided with a vacant, state-owned building slated for demolition.

Emergency services, including the Honolulu Fire Department and Honolulu Police Department, rushed to the scene. Video footage captured black smoke billowing from the crash site. The area was briefly closed to traffic but reopened soon.

Both victims, who were the only occupants of the aircraft, remain unidentified.

David Hinderland, CEO of Kamaka Air, issued a statement expressing the company’s grief, “It is with heavy hearts that Kamaka Air confirms the loss of two members of the Kamaka Air family.”

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi offered his condolences and highlighted the risks faced by those working in Hawaii’s transport industry. Governor Josh Green also extended his sympathies to the victims’ families, calling the incident “heartbreaking”.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), with assistance from the DOT, launched an investigation into the crash to determine its cause.