Cargo Plane Makes Emergency Water Landing Near Honolulu
Two people on the Boeing 737 cargo aircraft were rescued
A cargo plane made an emergency water landing Friday morning in the ocean near Honolulu, federal officials said.
Transair flight 810, a Boeing Co. BA -0.64% 737-200 cargo aircraft en route to neighboring Kahului, Hawaii, had two crew members on board, both of whom were rescued, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The plane landed in the ocean around 1:30 a.m. local time, according to preliminary information from the agency.
“The pilots had reported engine trouble and were attempting to return to Honolulu when they were forced to land the aircraft in the water,” the FAA said. “According to preliminary information, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued both crew members. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.”
One person on board was taken to a hospital, a spokeswoman for the Hawaii Department of Transportation said. The flight had taken off from the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, she added.
The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter, a plane and two boats after learning of the situation, a spokesman said. He said the maritime agency rescued one person on board the cargo plane, while the Honolulu fire department, which had also sent a boat to the scene, rescued another.
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Twitter it would send a team of seven people to investigate the crash.
Boeing shares fell sharply after reports of the incident emerged, recovering to recently trade 0.9% lower Friday. The airplane involved in the water landing in Hawaii wasn’t one of the company’s newer MAX planes, the plane maker’s latest 737 models. Two of those jets crashed in late 2018 and early 2019, leading to a nearly two-year grounding for those aircraft that has since been lifted.
The Pratt & Whitney-powered jet was manufactured in 1975, according to the FAA. Boeing and the engine maker said they were aware of the incident and in touch with the safety board.
Transair has operated all-cargo flights between the Hawaiian islands for almost 40 years and has a fleet of five 737 freighters, according to its website. Efforts to reach executives at the company weren’t immediately successful.
Successful water landings by large commercial jets are rare. The best-known example is the so-called “Miracle on the Hudson” in 2009 when a US Airways A320 was safely guided onto the Hudson River off Manhattan after both its engines were hit by a bird strike. All 155 passengers and crew were rescued.