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A private airplane that had taken off from Kahului Airport was traveling away from the pilot’s intended destination of Molokai when it crashed in the ocean three years ago, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.
The pilot, Jose Krall, is believed to have died in the crash that occurred at about 7 p.m. Dec. 1, 2012, about 5 miles from Kahului Airport. The 51-year-old Wailuku resident was pastry chef and owner of Maui Bake Shop & Deli in Wailuku.
His four-seat Cessna 1725 was substantially damaged in the crash, with the Coast Guard reporting a debris field, including a plane wheel, landing gear, life jacket and aircraft antenna in waters about 2 miles north of Maui.
While the main wreckage wasn’t located, the right wheel and tire washed up at Kailua Beach Park on Oahu seven days after the crash, according to the NTSB factual report.
The report says the plane had left Kahului Airport about six minutes before the accident.
Shortly before the crash, a Honolulu air traffic controller had contacted the pilot after seeing the plane had turned northeast bound and was traveling away from Molokai, according to the NTSB report. Asked to verify his destination, the pilot said he was headed for Molokai Airport.
When the controller asked if the pilot was tuned in to the Molokai Airport short-range radio navigation system, the pilot asked for verification that the frequency was 1161.1. The controller said the correct frequency was 116.1.
The pilot said he was going to make a right 360-degree turn before radar contact was lost at 7 p.m., according to the report.
Instead of turning right, the plane made a descending left turn and then was lost from radar, the report says.
“The controller reported that the pilot sounded clear and calm with no stress apparent during the radio transmissions,” the report says. “The last radar echo showed the accident airplane in a left turn at 700 feet above the water.”
When the airplane dropped off the radar, it was about 2.5 miles north of Paia, according to the report.
At the time, Kahului Airport reported winds of about 8 miles per hour, visibility of 10 miles and scattered clouds about 2,500 feet above ground in the area of the plane’s last location.
On his most recent medical application dated Jan. 26, 2012, Krall reported having 785 hours of flight time, including 50 hours in the past six months, according to the NTSB report. The report said Krall’s reported medical conditions of high blood pressure, which was controlled with medication, and kidney stones, which was resolved, “should not pose a hazard to flight safety.”
A final NTSB report on the crash is pending.
* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.