A 39-year-old Honolulu man died after his home-built plane nose-dived yesterday afternoon into a taro field near Dillingham Airfield, authorities said. Pilot is killed as experimental
plane crashes near DillinghamBy Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.comFire investigators identified the man as Ronald Haenel, the pilot and sole occupant of the single-engine plane.
Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Richard Soo said the victim was pronounced dead at the crash site at 1:31 p.m. His body was found about 10 feet from the aircraft.
Rollo Royle, air traffic control supervisor at Dillingham Airfield, said Haenel was flying an experimental aircraft and left the airfield, 68-760 Farrington Hwy., at 12:46 p.m., escorted by two men in a two-seat plane.
Royle said Haenel planned to head to Haleiwa and then head south toward Honolulu, but experienced problems while flying over Waialua and turned the aircraft around to return to Dillingham.
At 12:57 p.m. one of the pilots from the escorting aircraft called traffic control and said the home-built plane had gone down.
Royle said the aircraft descended 200 feet, dipped a wing and went into a spin before crashing into a taro field about 1.5 miles east of the runway.
Tweet Coleman, pacific representative for the Federal Aviation Administration, said Haenel was an experienced mechanic and pilot who worked as chief of maintenance for Kamaka Air, a small air carrier in Hawaii.
Employees at Kamaka Air declined to comment on the crash.
Coleman said Haenel was operating a 1972 Jodel D-9. She added that the National Transportation Safety Board will not investigate the crash because it involved an experimental aircraft. An investigation by the local FAA Flight Standards District Office is expected to begin today.