Convair 440 accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, January 18, 1982
On January 18, 1982 at about 8:45 am local time, a Convair 440, registered N21DR, was destroyed in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii (Honolulu Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- January 18, 1982 · about 8:45 am local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Honolulu Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Convair 440 · all 440s on the register
- Registration
- N21DR · no longer on the register · serial 325
- 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
AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE PILOT CALLED FOR THE LANDING GEAR TO BE RAISED. AS THE PLANE WAS CLIMBING THROUGH ABOUT 100 FT AGL, THE PILOT NOTED A LOSS OF POWER IN THE RIGHT ENGINE AND SAW A FIRE LIGHT. GROUND WITNESSES HEARD A MUFFLED EXPLOSION AND SAW SMOKE AND FIRE TRAILING FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS FEATHERED AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. THE PLANE WAS DITCHED NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF PEARL HARBOR. A TEARDOWN OF THE RIGHT ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE TOP RING LANDS OF THE NO. 10 AND NO. 14 PISTONS WERE BROKEN AND THE TOP RING WAS MISSING FROM EACH OF THE PISTONS. ALSO, THE REAR COUNTER- BALANCE DRIVE INTERMEDIATE GEAR WAS WORN AND 11 GEAR TEETH WERE MISSING. ADDITIONALLY, THE REAR COUNTERBALANCE DRIVE GEAR WAS WORN.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,550 hours in all; 88 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 2,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40,846 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 48,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P & W R-2800 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Island Airlines Hawaii INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Honolulu HI at 10:44 pm
- Destination: Maui HI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 158°F (70°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:00 pm from HNL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 1 |
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.
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.