Damaged plane on Maui
turned over to the stateInvestigators likely will finish
a preliminary probe by
next week
WAILUKU >> Federal investigators have turned over a damaged airplane to state airport authorities on Maui after trying to determine why its engine failed, causing a crash landing Wednesday.
The 42-year-old pilot, Alan Walls of Canada, who suffered some back injuries, was released from Maui Memorial Medical Center on Thursday.
Jimmy Webb, the acting flight standards manager for the Federal Aviation Administration, said federal investigators have spoken to the pilot.
Webb said yesterday that the FAA investigators will probably complete their preliminary probe by next week and turn the information over to an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board for review. The board's investigator is responsible for releasing a preliminary report to the public.
Walls told a Maui fire official that he was ferrying the Piper PA-31 Navajo from Oahu to Oakland, Calif., when the fuel pump to the right engine failed and forced him to turn back and make an emergency landing at the Kahului Airport shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday.
On the landing approach, a wing dipped and touched the ground, resulting in the crash 200 yards shy of a runway, the pilot told the fire official.
Jon Sakamoto, state airports district manager, said the airplane is being relocated to the west side of the airfield.
Sakamoto said the state Airports Division plans to bill the owners of Canadian-registered aircraft for removing the airplane from the approach area and any overtime charges. Sakamoto estimated the cost would probably amount to about $3,000.
