Three people were being treated at Hilo Medical Center after a single-engine plane crashed Tuesday at Hilo International Airport.
The Cessna 172, operated by Iolani Air Tour Co., crashed shortly after takeoff around 1:50 p.m., according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.
“The FAA and NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) will investigate,” he wrote in an emailed statement.
Hilo Medical Center spokeswoman Elena Cabatu said Tuesday afternoon that two patients from the plane were in critical condition, while a third was listed as stable. She could not provide any other information.
The plane, operated by Iolani Air Tour Co., lay in a clearing just north of the runway near Kauhane Avenue in Keaukaha at about 3 p.m. as fire department personnel worked in the area.
Bob Blair, a pilot who regularly flies tours for the company, was standing in the parking lot of Iolani Air and said that he had just flown in the plane on Sunday, and he had experienced no trouble.
“This is awful,” he said. “I hope they’re OK.”
When reached by phone at 3:20 p.m., Iolani’s operations manager, Chris Lambert, said that he could not provide a statement.
“I was just notified, and I am leaving Waikoloa and driving to Hilo now,” he said.
A later call made to his cellphone was not returned as of press time.
A search of the FAA’s online registry shows that the four-seat plane was manufactured in 1973 and has a valid registration through July 31.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
