Cessna 402A accident near Kahului, Hawaii, April 29, 1987
On April 29, 1987 at about 6:54 pm local time, a Cessna 402A, registered N4588Q, was destroyed in an accident near Kahului, Hawaii (Kahului airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- April 29, 1987 · about 6:54 pm local time
- Place
- Kahului, Hawaii · Kahului · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402A · all 402As on the register
- Registration
- N4588Q · no longer on the register · serial 402A0088
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT REQD AN 'IMMEDIATE DOWNWIND' TO RTRN TO THE ARPT & WAS CLRD TO LAND. WHEN ASKED IF EQUIP-MENT WAS NEEDED, HE REPLIED, 'NEGATIVE, SIR, A LITTLE MATTER OF FUEL.' A WITNESS SAID THE ACFT APPEARED VERY LOW ON FINAL APCH WITH BOTH PROPS TURNING. THE ACFT CRASH LNDD SHORT OF THE RWY, WENT THRU A PERIMETER FENCE & CAME TO REST ON AN INCLINE ABT 10' SHORT OF THE RWY. THE PLT RCVD A HEAD INJURY & COULDN'T REMEMBER MANY DETAILS OF THE OCCURRENCE. IN AN EARLY INTERVIEW, HE INDCD THERE WAS A PARTIAL PWR LOSS & THE ACFT YAWED, BUT HE COULDN'T REMEMBER WHICH ENG 'CUT OUT FIRST.' LATER, HE WAS UNABLE TO RECALL LOSING PWR. SIX GAL OF FUEL WAS FND IN THE L MAIN TANK, ABT 1.5 GAL WAS IN THE R MAIN TANK. THE LEFT FUEL SLCTR WAS FND IN THE 'MAIN' PSN, BUT DUE TO DMG & RESCUE ACTIVITIES, THE PSN OF THE R FUEL SLCTR WAS NOT DETERMINED. BOTH AUX PUMP SWS WERE IN THE 'OFF' PSN. THE L PROP CTL WAS IN THE FEATHER PSN, BUT NEITHER PROP HAD FEATHERED. EACH MAIN TANK HELD 1 GAL OF UNUSABLE FUEL. A TEST OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED 0.045% ALCOHOL.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,650 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 6,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 23, 1987; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Inter-Island Air
The flight
- Departed from: OGG at 6:49 pm
- Destination: LNY Lanai HI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 6,995 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; not recorded at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:00 pm from OGG, 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.