HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Kamaka Air Inc. was founded in 1993 as a local airline.
It is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration as an inter-island airline and logistics company for per-pound air cargo services and non-scheduled charters.
Its recent history is an example of consolidation happening in the general aviation industry across the country.
In February 2022, RLG Capital and Trinity Private Equity Group acquired an 80-percent majority stake in the airline.
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Most of its aircraft are single-engine Cessna Caravan’s like the one that crashed on Tuesday. These are extremely reliable aircraft with the capability of short landings and takeoffs needed to serve airports especially on Molokai and Lanai, so they are essential in serving those small communities.
The one that crashed on Tuesday was not particularly old. It was built in 2011.
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When Mokulele airlines — which provides essential air service to Molokai and Lanai — had trouble meeting its schedules last year, Kamaka Air began offering charter flights for passengers as well.
In January 2023, a Kamaka Air flight crashed near the Molokai airport. The plane was totaled but the pilot and copilot walked away with minor injuries.
In May 2024, Kamaka Air put out a press release saying it was under new ownership and new leadership with complete support of the existing leadership of Kamaka.
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It promised a smooth transition but ran into trouble filling key jobs, including a chief pilot and director of flight operations.
That made the FAA uncomfortable, so the company shut down temporarily and returned to service within a couple of weeks.
Kamaka Air is proud of its history in serving during hard times. Their planes were used to deliver emergency supplies of COVID tests to Lanai and food to Kauai during the pandemic, and food and other emergency supplies to Maui after the wildfires.
As federal aviation authorities investigate, the airline will be scrutinized for its operations and safety protocols, and whether it was fully in compliance with FAA certification requirements.
David Hinderland, Kamaka Air CEO, issued the following statement:
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“It is with heavy hearts that Kamaka Air confirms the loss of two members of the Kamaka Air family in an accident at 3:13 this afternoon near the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. We are not releasing the names of the pilots until family members have had a chance to process this tragedy, and we hope the media will give them the same consideration.
In the meantime, we are making ourselves available to the Hawaiian Department of Transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Federal Aviation Administration for investigation into this accident, and we will also share appropriate information with the media as it is confirmed over the coming hours and days.
At this time, we ask for your patience, as you know the urgency of getting correct information that not only offers a clear understanding of what happened, but to assure that the information is handled appropriately.”“It is with heavy hearts that Kamaka Air confirms the loss of two members of the Kamaka Air family.”
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Elijah Ickes sprinted home on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to deliver the Hawaii baseball team a 4-3 victory over Gonzaga today at Les Murakami Stadium.
Down 3-2 in the ninth, Tate Shimao hit a one-out single to right field. Ickes followed with single to left.
The Bulldogs brought in Frank Willius, a 6-foot-4 left-hander, to face left-swinging Ben Zeigler-Namoa.
“We were expecting him the whole weekend,” Zeigler-Namoa said. “I saw (videos of Willius) multiple times. I was ready to hit. I was ready to hit the whole weekend. I got my pitch, and hit it up the middle.”
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Zeigler-Namoa’s grounder eluded the reach of second baseman Hudson Shupe as Shimao raced home with the tying run and Ickes dived safely into third base.
Willius’ first pitch to Jake Redding bounced past catcher Luca DiPaolo and Ickes scored the winning run.
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“Coach (Rich Hill) told me to look for the passed ball,” Ickes said, “and it was the first pitch, and the rest is history.”
UH won three of four to claim the season-opening series.
The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupted on Sunday, sending lava fountains, ash and smoke into the air. The US Geological Survey said it was the 42nd episode of lava fountains since the current series of intermittent eruptions began in December 2024. The plume from the latest eruption reached more than 10,000 metres (35,000 feet), according to the National Weather Service
Hawaiian Electric is monitoring developing weather conditions likely to lead to an increased risk of wildfires in parts of Maui County and Hawaiʻi Island later this week.
Photo File: Courtesy Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization website
Customers in these areas are urged to initiate their own emergency plans should a public safety power shutoff need to be initiated, including preparations for the possibility of extended power outages Monday through Thursday (Feb. 16-19).
The National Weather Service forecast office in Honolulu reported just after 3:30 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 15) in its fire weather planning forecast that strong high pressure far north of the islands will sink southward and weaken some during the next couple of days.
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This will maintain breezy trades for much of the week.
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Showers riding in on the trades will be focused over windward and mauka areas. However with the breezy trades, some showers will reach leeward areas at times.
Proactive power shutoffs are one way Hawaiian Electric can help prevent wildfires when there is windy weather, low humidity and dry vegetation near Hawaiian Electric equipment, which is the case in areas such as West Maui and South Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island.
These conditions could lead to damaged powerlines or debris being blown into powerlines, which increases the risk of a fire starting.
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Hawaiian Electric will keep the public informed by deploying its message broadcast system to customers in high risk areas should weather conditions intensify.
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News releases and regular social media postings will also be used to provide updates and information.
Call Hawaiian Electric’s Public Safety Power Shutoff Hotline toll-free at 1-844-483-8666 or visit the Hawaiian Electric website for additional information, maps of public safety power shutoff areas and more.
Map Courtesy: Hawaiian Electric
