Both engines of a Boeing 737-200 cargo plane failed in the early hours of Friday off the coast of Hawaii, forcing an emergency landing in the sea as the pilot radioed air traffic control to inform them they had lost one engine; the second one appeared to be failing and was ‘running very hot’, and ‘it doesn’t look good here’.
In just the latest drama to befall Boeing, the two pilots – one 50, one 58 – were rescued from the sea by the Coast Guard. One sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital; the second, less severely harmed, was transported back to land by boat.
The plane was operated by Rhoades Aviation Inc, which does business as Transair. Transair is one of Hawaii’s largest air cargo carriers and has been in business since 1982.
‘Rhoades 810, we’ve lost an engine. We’re on a 220 heading,’ one of the pilots told Honolulu air traffic control, giving the compass reading.
The recording was posted on LiveATC, an audio streaming site that broadcasts air traffic control communications.
Several minutes later, the pilot reported: ‘We’ve lost number one engine, we’re coming straight to the airport.
‘We’re going to need the fire department, there’s a chance we’re going to lose the other engine, it’s running very hot.
‘It doesn’t look good here – you may want to let the coastguard know as well.’
The loss of both engines in the 46-year-old plane – a workhorse of trans-Atlantic passenger travel – has sparked serious alarm.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Friday afternoon said it was sending seven investigators.
The plane went down off West Oahu, about two miles off Kalaeloa Airport, at around 1.45am local time after experiencing trouble with both the plane’s engines.
Initial reports suggested that there was not enough altitude to return to Honolulu, prompting the aircraft to ditch in the sea.
Both crew members were alive after the splashdown, but one of them was said to be in critical condition.
Shares of Boeing fell one per cent in Friday morning trading.
Queen’s officials said the pilot who was airlifted, described as a 58-year-old man, was in the intensive care unit in critical condition.
The pilot who was rescued by boat, aged 50, was in serious condition with a head injury and multiple lacerations.
Transair Flight 810 departed from the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu at 1.33am, bound for Kahului, Maui, but quickly turned back, reported Hawaii News Now.
The Transair Boeing 737-200 cargo plane was en route to Maui from Honolulu when the pilots reported that one engine was down.
