(FOX) Honolulu, HI - Nine people died when a small, twin-engine aircraft used by skydivers crashed Friday evening near Dillingham Airfield in Mokuleia on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, officials said.
Family members of the skydivers were reportedly not far from the site when the crash happened.
The mangled remains of the King Air plane were seen in a photo posted by a local newspaper and distributed by the Associated Press.
“In my 44 years as a firefighter in Hawaii, this is the most tragic incident that we’ve had,” Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves told the Star-Advertiser, describing the incident.
Hawaii’s Department of Transportation confirmed on Twitter that the plane, a type of American-built small utility aircraft, had nine people aboard when it crashed. No survivors were expected to be found.]
Police said the plane was fully engulfed in flames when first-responders arrived,Hawaii News Nowreported. Smoke from the crash site could reportedly be seen for miles
The Honolulu Fire Department is turning over the investigation to state crash firefighters at this time, Neves said. Officials are waiting for a response from the Federal Aviation Administration on how to proceed.
It was unclear whether the plane was taking off or landing when it crashed. Officials have shut down Farrington Highway as they conduct an investigation
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