HONOLULU (AP) — A witness saw a medical transport plane that went missing on a flight from Maui to the Big Island enter a spiral descent and hit the ocean, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by National Transportation. Safety Board.
The wreckage of the plane sank in the Maui Channel at an estimated depth of 6,000 feet (1,830 meters), according to the report.
The three people on board – an airline pilot, a paramedic and a flight nurse – are all presumed dead, according to the report.
Last month, Hawaii Life Flight’s fixed-wing emergency plane went off the radar while en route to pick up a patient, according to a statement from Global Medical Response. The patient was not on board.
The flight left Maui’s Kahului Airport at 8:53 p.m. on December 15 and was heading to Waimea on the Big Island to pick up a patient to take to Honolulu.
According to the report, the pilot was in contact with the Honolulu Air Traffic Control Center and was following instructions. The last radio transmission from the plane is believed to have been the pilot saying, “Wait,” the report said.
A witness flying a small plane from Hilo to Honolulu saw the plane as it “entered a descending right spiral turn, which steepened as the descent increased,” the report said. “The witness said he saw the plane continue to descend until it hit the surface of the water.”
The witness then lost sight of the aircraft lights.
The report includes factual information but not probable cause. This is usually included in a final report, which may take a year or two.
The Coast Guard searched with boats, a helicopter and a cargo plane. Parts of the plane’s wreckage were found floating near the last known location of the medical flight, according to the report.
The search was suspended on December 19 without locating the aircraft or its occupants.
Global Medical Response had temporarily suspended Hawaii Life Flight transports, prompting Gov. Josh Green to issue, and then expand, an emergency proclamation allowing the state to top up Hawaii’s medical flight capacity in the interim.
The proclamation authorizes the Hawaii National Guard to fly Blackhawk helicopters to transport patients. It also allows AirMed International, a sister company of Hawaii Life Flight, to bring aircraft and crew members to Hawaii from the continental United States.
The emergency relief period for the proclamation was to continue through Friday.
Many hospitals on Hawaii’s more rural islands are small and offer limited medical services compared to larger hospitals in Honolulu. Patients with more serious and urgent illnesses often have to be transported to Oahu for treatment.
Hawaii Life Flight identified the pilot of the medical transport plane as Brian Treptow, The Maui News reported. The flight nurse was identified as Courtney Parry and the flight paramedic as Gabriel Camacho.
“We truly feel the love and support not only from our family and friends, but also from the community as a whole,” Camacho’s mother said in a statement. “Gabriel loved what he was doing and he was well aware of the risks.”
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Associated Press
