Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, December 21, 2024
On December 21, 2024 at about 9:15 am local time, a 1998 Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A, registered N438CA, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) start-up) near Honolulu, Hawaii. It was an other work-use flight under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2024 · about 9:15 am local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A, built 1998
- Registration
- N438CA · no longer on the register · serial LJ-1541
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 20, 2024, about 2315 Hawaii-Aleutian standard time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company (formerly Beech) twin-engine, turbine-powered C90A airplane, N438CA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii. The pilot-in-command, seated in the left seat, second-in-command pilot, seated in the right seat, and two medical center specialty team members were uninjured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 air medical flight. According to the operator, Guardian Flight LLC, dba Hawaii Life Flight, the medical transport flight was en route, with two medical personnel on board from the Kapiolani Medical Center, to pick up a patient on a neighboring island. According to the pilots, just after starting the engines, the airplane began an un-commanded roll forward and it subsequently struck an unoccupied, parked company Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A airplane, N902TS, which was located across the ramp. As a result, N438CA sustained substantial damage to the right engine firewall and engine mounts. The wreckage has been moved to a secure location pending further examination.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Ground collision during standing (engine(s) start-up) defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Guardian Flight LLC
The flight
- Destination: HOG Kahului HI
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm
Weather report (METAR): 210853Z 00000KT 10SM SCT027 24/21 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP178 T02440211 51004 PNO VISNO RWY04R $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.