Beech 77 accident near Kalihi, Hawaii, October 31, 1989
On October 31, 1989 at about 4:57 pm local time, a Beech 77, registered N3731X, was destroyed in an accident near Kalihi, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE AND CLEARANCE FROM MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE ADVERSE WEATHER AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 1989 · about 4:57 pm local time
- Place
- Kalihi, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 77 · all 77s on the register
- Registration
- N3731X · no longer on the register · serial WA-145
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS FLYING A MORNING TRAFFIC WATCH ALONG A HIGHWAY IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, JUST EAST OF HONOLULU. THE MOUNTAIN TOPS WERE OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. THE NEXT TRAFFIC REPORT WAS DUE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A RIDGE THRU WHICH THE HIGHWAY PASSED VIA A TUNNEL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ABOUT 1/2 MI WEST OF THE SOUTH ENTRANCE OF THE TUNNEL. IMPACT OCCURRED BELOW A RIDGE AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 2000 FT. THIS WAS ABOVE THE LOWEST ELEVATION OF A PASS THAT CROSSED THE RIDGE NEAR THAT POINT. GROUND SCARS AT THE CRASH SITE WERE INDICATIVE OF A WINGS LEVEL IMPACT. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS EVIDENT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 562 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 182 in the last 90 days; 101 in the last 30 days; 394 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,521 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 22, 1989; 126 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Great Bend Air, INC
The flight
- Departed from: HNL Honolulu HI at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 am from HNL, 8 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.