FAA Releases Preliminary Report in Emergency Landing on Maui

Photo courtesy Ryan Piros/County of Maui.

By Wendy Osher

The Federal Aviation Administration released preliminary data on the emergency landing of a small plane in Waiehu on Maui last night.

According to the report, the Piper PA28 aircraft, involved in the incident sustained “substantial” damage.

The FAA report described the emergency as a “forced landing” saying the plane landed about 3 miles from the Kahului Airport.

Earlier reports from first responders noted that the emergency landing took place at around 5:38 p.m. on Sunday, June 16, 2013, in an area makai of Lower Waiehu Beach Road, approximately 50-yards from the shoreline.

All four people aboard the aircraft were uninjured in the incident, officials said.

One of the men aboard the plane confirmed on his facebook account that he was on his way back from a sectional tennis tournament on Oʻahu when the forced landing occurred.  In comments, the man credited the pilot with “an incredible landing,” and said he felt “blessed” that all aboard walked away from the incident.

According to an online Aviation Database, the fixed-wing, single-engine, four-seat, plane was registered to Mokulele Iki LLC out of Kīhei, Maui.