Nene killing spurs park warning

The National Park Service is warning motorists to be careful when driving in Haleakala National Park, where a “;careless driver”; killed an endangered nene goose Sunday.

The park service had posted signs urging caution.

The dead bird, part of a breeding pair, was reported by visitors Sunday morning and retrieved by a park ranger near mile marker 16. Rangers estimated the bird was hit between 7 and 7:15 a.m.

“;Motorists traveling to the park are asked to be aware of nene on the road, especially during bad weather when road visibility is compromised,”; the park service said yesterday in a statement. The weather was not a factor Sunday, the statement added.

There are approximately 250 nene at the park, but only half of the birds are known to breed each year, according to the park service. October through March is peak nesting season at Haleakala. The nene nest in the shrubbery alongside the roads and, unlike other birds, do not flee when approached by cars, the park service said.

Areas that the birds frequent include just inside the park's entrance, the road to Hosmer Grove, roadways near the park's headquarters, Halemauu Trailhead parking lot and below Leleiwi Overlook.

Pilot error, crosswind downed plane

HILO » A hard landing by a twin-engine Piper Comanche plane in a lava field at the Kona Airport Nov. 23 was caused by the pilot failing to compensate properly for a crosswind, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The commercial pilot was being checked out by an instructor, the NTSB said. The pilot experienced a crosswind and lowered his right wing to compensate, but the instructor told him the wing was too low, so he raised it.

That set the plane to drifting away from the runway, so the pilot again lowered his right wing, again bringing a warning from the instructor that the wing was too low.

The pilot touched down suddenly, veered to the right, then overcorrected to the left. He asked for help just as the plane drifted off the runway, too late for the instructor to help.

Police said at the time that the 52-year-old male pilot suffered a scraped knee. The 43-year-old female instructor was not injured. Their names were not released. A small amount of fuel was spilled during the incident.

Hunsaker quits Police Commission

Honolulu Police Commissioner Mark Hunsaker is resigning from the commission, citing business travel and his duties as a police officer in Arcadia, Kan.

The commission accepted his resignation and sent a letter to Mayor Mufi Hannemann Dec. 3. His resignation will be effective Monday.

The Police Commission also re-elected Christine Camp and Keith Amemiya as chairwoman and vice chairman, respectively, for 2009.