Murrayair MA-1 accident near Hilo, Hawaii, October 28, 1986
On October 28, 1986 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Murrayair MA-1, registered N306MA, was destroyed in an accident near Hilo, Hawaii (Duster Strip airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
- October 28, 1986 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hilo, Hawaii · Duster Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Murrayair MA-1
- Registration
- N306MA · registry record · serial 006
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER RETURNING FROM A SPRAYING FLT, THE ACFT WAS REFUELED. AFTER REFUELING, THE PLT USED FUEL TO WASH OIL FROM THE SIDE OF THE ACFT & THE WING STEP. WHEN THE ENG WAS RESTARTED ABOUT 2 MIN LATER, FUEL FUMES IGNITED & FIRE SPREAD TO THE FUEL TRUCK. BOTH THE ACFT & THE TRUCK WERE DESTROYED BY FIRE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 8,558 hours in all; 840 in this make and model; 840 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,920 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 18, 1986; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,250 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wright R-1820 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.