Plane crash map Locate crash sites, wreckage and more

N60020 accident description

Hawaii map... Hawaii list
Crash location 21.253333°N, 157.575556°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect.
Nearest city Honolulu, HI
21.306944°N, 157.858333°W
18.6 miles away
Tail number N60020
Accident date 15 Jun 2007
Aircraft type Cessna 150J
Additional details: None

NTSB Factual Report

The active duty military pilot rented the airplane, while on leave, for a flight from Honolulu, Hawaii, to the island of Maui, and return. He received a checkout flight (1.2 hours) in the aircraft the day before. The pilot topped off the fuel tanks, which gave him 22.5 gallons useable, before the flight. The flight over was uneventful, but on his return flight, he lost total engine power at 2,000 feet, approximately 10 nautical miles east of his destination. The pilot described the power loss as follows: "The engine smoothly 'rolled back' in RPM to something less than cruise power as if power was simply reduced. It ran smoothly with no inconsistency for approximately one minute, and then completely stopped." He successfully ditched the aircraft into the Pacific Ocean. The two occupants exited the aircraft with an inflatable raft and were rescued.

Air traffic control tower records indicate that the pilot's flight time to Maui was 1 hour, 34 minutes, and his return flight from takeoff to ditching was 45 minutes. The airplane's fuel consumption rate should have been between 6 and 7 gallons per hour. The airplane sank in deep water, and was not recovered.

NTSB Probable Cause

The total loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

© 2009-2020 Lee C. Baker / Crosswind Software, LLC. For informational purposes only.