The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that pilot error was the probable cause of a Big Island tour plane crash two years ago that killed 10 people. NTSB reports pilot
probably caused ’99
tour plane crashBy Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comBig Island Air Flight 58 crashed on the northeast slope of the Mauna Loa volcano near Volcano on Sept. 25, 1999, killing pilot Dennis O'Leary and all nine passengers on board.
NTSB investigators said that contributing to the accident were O'Leary's "failure to properly navigate and his disregard for standard operating procedures" such as obtaining a preflight weather briefing as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
An NTSB report on the accident states that according to flight videos taken by another passenger who flew with O'Leary several weeks before the accident, O'Leary could be seen flying into clouds several times and in different locations. Investigators conclude that on the day of the accident, O'Leary also flew into clouds but did not appear to use on-board equipment to check how close he was to the mountainside.
"During the last few minutes of flight, when the airplane's ground clearance was rapidly decreasing, the pilot did not reverse course or take emergency action," according to the report filed last week.
"If the pilot had been using his navigational aids correctly, he would have realized that he was nearing high terrain and would likely have changed his course."
NTSB investigators also said traces of the drug phentermine was found in O'Leary's system. Phentermine is a prescription stimulant and diet aid with potential side effects that include insomnia, irritability, hyperactivity, personality changes, and extreme fatigue and depression following acute withdrawal.
However, NTSB investigators said that because blood samples from the pilot were not available for analysis, the drug's impact on O'Leary's behavior could not be analyzed or determined.