Beech 65-A90 accident near Mokuleia, Hawaii, June 22, 2019
On June 22, 2019 at about 4:22 am local time, a 1967 Beech 65-A90, registered N256TA, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Mokuleia, Hawaii (Dillingham Airfield). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 11 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s aggressive takeoff maneuver, which resulted in an accelerated stall and subsequent loss of control at an altitude that was too low for recovery. Contributing to the accident were (1) the operation of the airplane near its aft center of gravity limit and the pilot’s lack of training and experience with the handling qualities of the airplane in this flight regime; (2) the failure of Oahu Parachute Center and its contract mechanic to maintain the airplane in an airworthy condition and to detect and repair the airplane’s twisted left wing, which reduced the airplane’s stall margin; and (3) the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) insufficient regulatory framework for overseeing parachute jump operations. Contributing to the pilot’s training deficiencies was the FAA’s lack of awareness that the pilot’s flight instructor was providing substandard training.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2019 · about 4:22 am local time · cases in 2019
- Place
- Mokuleia, Hawaii · Dillingham Airfield · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 11 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65-A90, built 1967 · all 65-A90s on the register
- Registration
- N256TA · no longer on the register · serial LJ-256
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Analysis pending
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
What happened, in order
- Abrupt maneuver during takeoff defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Training › Type/qual of instruct/training › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Self confidence › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › CG/weight distribution › Capability exceeded
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › Main frame (on wing) › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the airframe structure
- Organizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › Adequacy of policy/proc › Operator
- Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › (general) › Inadequate inspection
- Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › (general) › Incorrect service/maintenance
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of operation › FAA/Regulator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of maintenance › FAA/Regulator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Training › Initial training › FAA/Regulator
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
- Organizational issues › Management › Culture › Safety › Operator
- Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › (general) › Related records
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Other
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › (general) › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,086 hours in all; 214 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 13, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 9,300 lb
- Seats: 14
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 Series (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 Series (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HDH Mokuleia HI at 4:21 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 9,007 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; a few clouds at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from PHHI, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 10 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
43 documents, released by the NTSB on October 28, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
Other NTSB records under N256TA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N256TA: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Beechcraft 65 201 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 Series 78 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 Series 78 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Kawaihapai Airfield · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Hawaii 524 since 1982 · 86 in the last ten years
- Hawaii 650 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N256TA 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR19MA177.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.