Fuel trouble suspected
in plane crash
WAILUKU >> A federal investigator said the twin-engine airplane that crashed at the Kahului Airport probably had a fuel flow problem.
George Petterson, the lead investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said yesterday that the aircraft had a "nonstandard fuel system" and that the pilot reported he had some fuel flow problems.
"There was plenty of fuel on board," Petterson said. "He couldn't get to it."
Petterson said Federal Aviation Administration investigators also found the main tanks were empty or close to empty while an additional tank was full and a third was partially full.
Petterson said his review of the investigation is expected to be in a preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board this week.
The Piper PA-31 Navajo was about 500 miles northeast of Oahu when the pilot notified the FAA at 11:27 a.m. Feb. 18 that the right engine had failed. The flight was diverted to Kahului Airport, and a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft and HH-65 helicopter were sent to escort the plane.
The pilot, Alan Walls, 42, who spent a night at Maui Memorial Medical Center before leaving last week Thursday, was ferrying the airplane for the owner Quikway Air Services Inc. of Alberta, Canada.
The passenger seats aboard the airplane had been removed to put in additional fuel tanks for long-distance trips.
Petterson said federal officials weren't able to locate the paperwork explaining the installation of the additional tanks and that investigators have yet to determine when the tanks were installed in the aircraft.
Maui fire officials said the aircraft was carrying some 2,300 pounds of aviation fuel when it attempted to land at the airport.
