Beech H18 accident near Waipio Valley, Hawaii, June 11, 1989
On June 11, 1989 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Beech H18, registered N34AP, was destroyed in an accident near Waipio Valley, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 11 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION TO MANEUVER WITH INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE OVER OR IN A A CANYON AREA. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE TERRAIN CONDITIONS AND SCENIC AIR TOUR'S LACK OF SPECIFIC DIRECTION TO ITS PILOTS CONCERNING SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR SIGHTSEEING FLIGHTS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 1989 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Waipio Valley, Hawaii
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 11 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech H18 · all H18s on the register
- Registration
- N34AP · registry record · serial BA-746
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SCENIC AIR TOURS FLT 21 (BEECH H18, N34AP) WAS ON AN AIR TAXI, SIGHTSEEING FLT FROM HILO TO KAHULUI, HI. THE PLT TOOK OFF AT APRX 1300 HST. AFTER TAKEOFF, FLT 21 PROCEEDED NW ALONG THE COASTLINE AT AN ALT OF ABOUT 2000 FT. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED IN A SCENIC CANYON AREA NEAR A WATERFALL IN WAIPIO VALLEY, APRX 50 MI NE OF HILO. IMPACT OCCURRED AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 2800 FT, APRX 600 TO 900 FT BELOW THE RIM. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM OF THE ACFT OR ENGS WAS FOUND. A PASSENGER, WHO WAS ON A PREVIOUS SIGHTSEEING FLT, RPRTD THE PLT HAD MANUEVERED BELOW THE RIM OF A CANYON. COMPANY OFFICIALS RPRTD THAT FLYING BELOW RIMS OF CANYONS WAS AGAINST COMPANY POLICY; HOWEVER, THE OPNS MANUAL DID NOT CONTAIN ANY GUIDANCE OR CAUTIONS ABOUT SUCH OPNS.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 305 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 3,300 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,864 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 31, 1989; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,900 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN-14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ITO Hilo HI at 11:00 pm
- Destination: Kahului HI
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 10 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N34AP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.