Partenavia P68C accident near Kaunakakai, Hawaii, August 5, 1999
On August 5, 1999 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Partenavia P68C, registered N4234L, suffered minor damage in an accident near Kaunakakai, Hawaii (Kaunakakai/Molokai airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The prospective passenger's intentional act of bypassing proscribed airport procedures for boarding aircraft. A factor was the failure of another operator's ground personnel to comply with ramp access restrictions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1999 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Kaunakakai, Hawaii · Kaunakakai/Molokai · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Partenavia P68C
- Registration
- N4234L · no longer on the register · serial 225
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Five passengers had chartered the airplane for a flight. Four of the passengers arrived at the airport, passed through the operator's boarding gate and entered the airplane. The pilot prepared to taxi for takeoff, started the engines, and performed other related duties in the cockpit. The late arriving fifth adult (prospective) passenger arrived at the airport and attempted to gain access to the ramp area where the airplane was parked. The passenger was described by witnesses as being 'frantic' and looking 'very upset.' He made several attempts to gain access via closed terminal gates and was observed to bang on closed glass doors while yelling 'that's my plane, that's my plane' in an attempt to acquire attention. The passenger located a nearby open and unguarded freight-loading gate next to the terminal. He passed through the unattended gate, ran toward the airplane while waving his arms, and contacted the left engine's rotating propeller. An investigation of the gate area revealed the area was marked with signs stating 'KEEP OUT RESTRICTED AREA' and 'AUTHORIZED AIRPORT EMPLOYEES ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT.' The gate was being used for freight movement by a different operator, whose loader had left the gate open while handling cargo in another area. Under FAA and state regulations, the company's freight loader had a responsibility to ensure that the gate was secure from entry by unauthorized persons at all times.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 8,900 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,513 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 1999; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,387 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LUP Kalaupapa HI
- Runway 5, 4,494 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 17 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from PHM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.