Boeing 737-209 incident near Honolulu, Hawaii, April 27, 1994
On April 27, 1994 at about 5:42 am local time, a Boeing 737-209, registered N804AL, was involved in an incident near Honolulu, Hawaii (Honolulu International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person had minor injuries; 58 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the battery transfer relay resulting in multiple system failures.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 1994 · about 5:42 am local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Honolulu International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 58 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-209 · all 737-209s on the register
- Registration
- N804AL · registry record · serial 21719
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On approach, the crew lowered the landing gear, but noticed none of the gear position lights were illuminated. Prior to landing, the captain found both the public address and interphone to be inoperative. A visual approach was performed with a normal touchdown. During rollout, the crew discovered that the thrust reversers would not deploy. After turning off the runway, the flight attendants began to smell smoke. The captain stopped on the taxiway and initiated an emergency evacuation. One passenger received a minor sprain while using the emergency slide. An inspection revealed that a multiple system loss had occurred due to the 28-volt DC battery bus going off-line. The condition was duplicated during troubleshooting and the failed part was identified as a battery transfer relay (R2). The source of the on board smoke was not identified.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 7,500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 3,800 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34,431 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 17, 1994; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 120,000 lb
- Seats: 124
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aloha Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: KOA Kona HI at 5:05 am
- Destination: HNL HI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8L, 12,357 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 060° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 am from HNL, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 53 |
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.