2 pilots die in fiery small plane crash near Honolulu airport

HONOLULU– A small cargo plane during a training flight crashed into a vacant building shortly after takeoff from Honolulu airport and caught fire, killing both pilots on board, authorities said.

Kamaka Air Flight 689 crashed into the building at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

Video shows the plane flying sideways into the airport area at low altitude before crashing into the building, causing a thick, black plume of smoke.

“Kamaka Flight 689, you are turning right, correct?” said the control tower audio obtained by Hawaii News Now.

The pilot responded, “Kamaka 689, we are, we are out of control here.”

“Okay, Kamaka 689, if you can land, if you can level it, that’s fine,” the control tower said. “Any runway, any place you can do it.”

The plane crashed moments later.

“It is with heavy hearts that Kamaka Air confirms the loss of two members of the Kamaka Air family in an accident,” company CEO David Hinderland told reporters. He said the names of the two pilots have not yet been released.

Hawaii News Now reported that family members identified one of the victims as Hiram Defries, a Punahou School graduate in his 20s and a pilot in training. KITV reported that the other pilot’s family identified him as Preston Kaluhiwa, a graduate of Kamehameha Schools.

The FAA said the single-engine Cessna 208 was headed to Lanai Airport in Maui County. According to its website, Kamaka Air offers cargo delivery services for both individuals and businesses.

No one else was injured, the Honolulu Fire Department said. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, the FAA said.