HONOLULU (AP) – A skydiving plane in Hawaii went up in flames just after takeoff and then exploded as it hit the ground, killing the pilot, two instructors and two tandem jumpers, fire officials and a witness said.
Investigators reviewed the burned-out wreckage of the single-engine plane in a field just outside a regional airport on the island of Kauai. Cisco Campos was fishing nearby Monday and told news outlets that the engine sounded strange after the plane left the runway.
He told Hawaii News Now (http://bit.ly/1TwYRt9 ) that it looked like the plane was trying to go back to the airport when it caught fire and then “everything exploded” as it crashed.
“Something must have been wrong with the engine,” he said, adding that as it tried to land again, the plane was heading into the wind.
Four of the victims died at the scene, and one died at a hospital, officials said. Their names have not been released, and autopsies will be conducted this week.