Nine dead as plane crashes in Hawaii, believed during skydiving trip

[June 22, 2019]    (Reuters) - Nine passengers and crew were killed on Friday evening when their plane crashed near an airfield in Hawaii, authorities said, during what broadcaster CNN said was a skydiving trip.

The twin-engine King Air plane went down near the Dillingham Airfield, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) said. The fire service said the aircraft was engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived and there appeared to be no survivors.

A plume of smoke rises after an airplane crash in Haleiwa, Hawaii, U.S., June 21, 2019 in this image obtained from social media. LuckyWeLive.com via REUTERS

"We are still gathering information as to the intent of the flight and what they were doing," Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel Neves told a news conference.

CNN said the plane was on a skydiving excursion and that Federal Aviation Administration would investigate the crash.

Dillingham is a joint-use airfield operated by the HDOT under a 25-year lease from the U.S. army, according to its website.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet)

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