Pilot likely had
no idea danger
was near

Radar information shows
the tour plane on a course to fly
at an easygoing pace over
a Mauna Loa ridge

By Rod Thompson
Star-Bulletin

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK -- A Piper Navajo Chieftain that crashed into Mauna Loa on Saturday was flying in a straight line at a leisurely 120 mph, preliminary radar information indicates.

The tour plane was gaining altitude at a moderate 400 to 600 feet per minute, National Transportation Safety Board lead investigator Robert Benzon said yesterday.

The information adds more weight to the increasing appearance that pilot Dennis O'Leary had no idea danger was approaching when he crashed into the mountain at 10,200 feet.

His course suggests he intended to fly over a gently sloping ridge on Mauna Loa's east face and continue into the "saddle" valley between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

A map plot of his course shows he crashed about 300 feet below the top of the ridge.

The last contact with Honolulu-based radar was four seconds before 5:26 p.m.

Engine had plenty of power

Benzon said investigators in Washington, D.C., will take the radar information and apply it to a map to get a precise picture.

But some things appeared clear, such as the speed of the plane. "It's not really fast," he said.

"The radar showed the aircraft in a slight climb during the last few minutes of flight," he said.

Investigators earlier said the plane's engines were producing plenty of power, suggesting the pilot could have taken more vigorous avoidance action if he had enough warning.

Benzon explained that investigators determined the amount of power by characteristic bending patterns and scrape marks on the moving propeller blades. "You don't get those when the engine is under low power or no power."

The plane had been flying in a straight line, slightly west of due north, for several minutes, he said.

That line and the crash site indicated the plane was flying about 10 miles southwest of its normal route home to Kona.

Benzon said pilots are not mandated to fly an exact course.

"All they have is a general route they fly."

They also have an alternate plan in case of bad weather, which calls for them to fly around the southern end of the island instead of going through the saddle.

Second flight was scheduled

Investigators received military weather photos for the day of the crash in natural color and infrared light, but the photos don't show the elevation of the clouds.

"We'll never have an exact idea of what the weather was at the impact point," Benzon said.

He also made some corrections to information released by the NTSB the day before.

It was incorrect to say Big Island Air did not check O'Leary's record of his flying time. That was checked when he became a contract pilot for the company in 1994.

"I don't think the hours are an issue," Benzon said. Investigators also said O'Leary logged 3.1 hours for what was supposed to be about a 1-hour flight. The time actually represented two flights, he said.

"He was going to do another one later," Benzon said.

That would have put at least part of the next flight after dark. "I don't have a good answer for you there," he said.

Benzon also revealed a few additional pieces of information about O'Leary, He previously flew for Air Molokai, was a personal friend of the owner of Big Island Air, joined that company in 1994 and took time off last year to do studies in Japan not related to flying.

Debris recovery tomorrow

The investigation at the crash site wrapped up yesterday. It included recovery of the airplane's instruments, although they were badly mangled.

"We might be able to get some information out of them forensically," Benzon said. A global positioning device was not found. "We have a hunch it's plastic slag now."

No activity was planned at the crash site today.

Pacific Helicopters of Maui was to recover the debris of the plane tomorrow.

The airplane parts will be carried from the crash site over the ridge it failed to cross to Mauna Loa Observatory, a climate monitoring site at 11,200 feet. From there they will be trucked to Hilo.