Beech H18S accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, July 17, 1984
On July 17, 1984 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Beech H18S, registered N21S, 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). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- July 17, 1984 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Honolulu Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech H18S · all H18Ss on the register
- Registration
- N21S · registry record · serial BA690
- 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
DURING TAKEOFF AT ABOUT 50 FT AGL & 4,000 FT DOWN RWY 4R, THE RIGHT ENG LOST POWER. ACCORDING TO THE PLT, HIS AIRSPEED WAS 105 MPH & THE RIGHT ENG 'POPPED' BEFORE IT LOST POWER. HE ALSO STATED THAT POWER ON THE LEFT ENG DETERIORATED AFTER THE THE RIGHT PROP WAS FEATHERED. THE ACFT WENT INTO A RIGHT BANK & THE PLT MAINTAINED CONTROL OF THE ACFT UNTIL IMPACT WITH THE WATER. EXAMINATION OF THE RIGHT ENG REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT MAGNETO, AMERICAN BOSCH SB9RU-3, SER #B88470, WAS NOT TIMED CORRECTLY. DISASSEMBLY OF THE MAGNETO REVEALED THAT ALL EXCEPT 11 DISTRIBUTOR GEAR TEETH WERE STRIPPED OFF. AT THE TIME OF THE POWER LOSS OF THE RIGHT ENG, ABOUT 5,000 FT OF RWY WAS REMAINING.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,772 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 94 in the last 90 days; 3,091 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,511 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 5, 1984; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R985AN143 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LIH Lihue HI
- Runway 4R, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from HNL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.