AP photo
A Cessna 182H with a pilot, two skydive instructors and two tandem jumpers on board crashed and burned shortly after takeoff from the Hawaiian island of Kauai about 9:30 Monday morning; there were no survivors. The airplane was operated by Skydive Kauai from Port Allen Airport, a small field on the south shore. One witness quoted in news reports said the airplane had just taken off when the engine seemed to quit. The airplane then appeared to turn back toward the airport, then caught fire and went down. The fire spread briefly, but was quickly contained by firefighters.
Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the crash site, according to local news reports. One man was taken to a local hospital, where he also was pronounced dead. Twenty visitors to the Hawaiian Islands died in aircraft crashes from 2005 to 2014, including one skydiver, according to The Associated Press. Over the same period, 24 residents were killed in air crashes, including four skydivers.
