JUNE 15, 2016 - VOLUME 31, ISSUE 24
The
Molokai olokai Dispatch T H E I S L A N D ’S N E W S S O U R C E S I N C E 198 5
Makani Kai Responds to NTSB Report By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor
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ccording to a recent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, a Makani Kai Air accident off Kalaupapa in 2013 could have been preventable. But Makani Kai Owner Richard Schuman denies the statement, calling it "totally false." According to passenger testimony in the accident report, the Makani Kai pilot did not give a federally-required safety briefing prior to take-off. A video captured by one of the passengers during the crash also shows former Department of Health Director Loretta Fuddy, who died in the water following the accident, wearing an infant life vest. "If the pilot had provided a safety briefing, as required by Federal Aviation Administration regulations, to the passengers that included the ditching procedures and location and usage of floatation equipment, the passengers might have been able to find and use the correct size floatation device," the NTSB report stated. "The infant life vests were in the rear of the aircraft so one or two people didn't grab them out of the seat back in front of them, they grabbed them from the back instead," said P.J. O'Reilley, Makani Kai sales and marketing. "The fact is, every adult on that aircraft had an adult life vest available to them." Schuman said the only operating change the FAA has required them to make since the accident is to store infant life vests underneath the aircraft instead of the rear of the cabin. "If that was in place when those people went into the water, the infant life vests would have been in the belly of the plane, which is completely inaccessible, and two people would have gotten out the aircraft with no life vests at all," he said. "[The FAA] thinks that's an improvement; I think they're crazy." Now, if an infant gets on board, the pilot will give an infant life vest to the child's guardian, said Schuman. The NTSB report also addressed the compressor turbine (CT) blades in the engine , which were found to be fractured and showed heat damage in the NTSB post-accident investigation. The report cited a "discrepancy" between the engine manufacturer's recommendations and an FAA-approved safety standards program. "It is likely that... [if more stringent inspection had been completed]... possible metal creep or abnormalities in the turbine compressor blades might have been discovered and the accident prevented," stated the report. "The NTSB's statement, 'if Makani Kai had done X, this could have been prevented,' is a totally false statement," said Schuman. "We fired back [to engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney] saying, 'if you didn't provide a substandard product, we never would have gone in the water.' We were the seventh in-flight catastrophic engine failure in 24 months. Since then, Pratt & Whitney has changed their manufacturing processes." He confirmed that Makani Kai is currently pursuing litigation against the manufacturer.
LITTLE LEAGUE Off to Strong Start
By Molokai Dispatch Staff
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olokai Little Leaguers won the opening game of the District III Little League Minor tournament (ages 9 to 10) held on Maui last Friday against Kihei. During Molokai's 11-2 triumph, Nai-a Naeole Starkey rounded second base in front of Kihei’s Noa Dias Delacruz and Tanoa McKenzie pitched for Molokai, pictured here. Photos by Robert Collias of The Maui News.
Vaccinating Monk Seals By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor
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ast week, biologists had a delicate and difficult job to complete in Kalaupapa: sneak up on sleeping young monk seals to give them a vaccine that could help save the endangered animals. The vaccine protects against a virus called morbillivirus, which causes measles in humans as well as the death of thousands of dolphins and seals in other parts of the world. With only about 1,100 Hawaiian monk seal living today, researchers worry an outbreak of the disease could be devastating, though it has not been reported in Hawaii. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says it will be vaccinating about 60 monk seals on Oahu, Kauai and Molokai this summer and fall. The vaccinated seals in Kalaupapa were recently-weaned pups. A booster dose of the vaccine will be administered about 30 days after the initial vaccine. Pictured here, Eric Brown, a bi-
THIS WEEK’S
Dispatch
Basketball Clinic a Success
ologist with the National Park Service, administered the injection with the assistance of a long pole, while Randall Watanuki, NPS, and Tracy Mercer of NOAA stood by. Photo courtesy of Diane Pike.
Food Hub Served Up Local Produce
Why I fly with Makani Kai Chevy, whose parents are obvious fans of Chevy trucks, says he likes Makani Kai Air because it’s, “Better, cheaper…and pretty fast.” When it’s pointed out that our airplanes are no faster than anyone else’s, he responds, “Yeah, but boarding and unloading are quick…no TSA.” Chevy, who boards at Kamehmeha Schools, loves to hunt when he’s home on Molokai, “Pigs, deer, goats…I just like getting out there.” A big baseball fan, Chevy’s ideal job would be to play shortstop or third base for the San Francisco Giants.
From topside Molokai to Honolulu or Kahului
$50 online fare, every seat, every flight, every day. MakaniKaiAir.com | (808) 834-1111
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