The first of the eleven victims from a skydiving group who were all killed in a fiery crash in northern Hawaii on Friday has been identified, following an emotional statement from family members.
Casey Williamson, 29, who worked at the Oahu Parachute Center, was aboard the plane at the time of the crash, his cousin Natcha Mendenhall has confirmed.
The budding videographer and skydiving instructor, originally from Yukon, Oklahoma, only moved to Hawaii at the beginning of 2018 to focus on skydiving full time.
He made his first jump two-and-a-half-years ago, and worked at the skydiving center filming customers as they jumped from the plane.
Casey Williamson, 29, who worked at the Oahu Parachute Center, was aboard the plane at the time of the crash, his cousin Natcha Mendenhall has confirmed
The videographer and skydiving instructor, originally from Yukon, Oklahoma, only moved to Hawaii at the beginning of 2018 to focus on skydiving full time
Williamson had set his sights on reaching his 1000th jump before the end of the year, Mendenhall said, before his tragic death alongside ten others on Friday.
‘Casey Williamson was one of a kind who lived life to the fullest,’ his family declared in a statement.
‘He was a free spirited lover of life and people. He was a friend to all he met. His smile and love for life was contagious. Our family will not be the same without our sweet Casey.’
Mendenhall said her family has not been officially notified of Williamson’s death, but they provided Honolulu police with his name and date of birth, and the police confirmed he was on the flight, she said.
He was travelling in a twin engine King Air plane when the light aircraft suddenly went down shortly after take-off near an airfield on Oahu’s North Shore yesterday, Hawaii’s Department of Transport (HDOT) confirmed.
He made his first jump two-and-a-half-years ago, and worked at the Oahu Parachute Center filming customers as they jumped from the plane
Remnants of an aircraft carrying eleven people lies on the ground near a fence that surrounds Dillingham Airfield in Mokuleia, just off Farrington Highway
TV footage showed flames billowing into the air from the wreckage.
Initially it was reported that nine people had died but Timothy Sakahara, a spokesman for the state transportation department, said Saturday that authorities have confirmed there were 11 people onboard the plane.
Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel P. Neves confirmed there were no survivors.
‘Upon arrival, we saw the plane fully engulfed in fire,’ he said at the scene. ‘The first crews on scene extinguished the fire.’
Neves added that the crash occurred near the perimeter fencing of the airport. He added: ‘They’re quite a way away from the runway.’
An eyewitness says he saw an airplane turn around shortly after takeoff before skimming some trees and crashing.
Steven Tickemeyer told KHON that it appeared the plane carrying skydivers turned around from the mountains near Dillingham Airfield
Tickemeyer says when he arrived at the scene a couple of minutes later, the plane was engulfed in flames.
Mendenhall said her family has not been officially notified of Williamson’s death, but they provided Honolulu police with his name and date of birth, and the police confirmed he was on the flight, she said
A plume of smoke was filmed above the crash site on Friday after a light-aircraft on a skydiving trip crashed in Hawaii
The plane was being used in a sky dive operation, and Neves said some family members of those on board were waiting at the airport for their loved ones to return when it crashed.
The debris field was relatively small, about 50 feet (15 meters) by 50 feet (15 meters), he said.
‘In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident what we’ve had,’ he added.
Crews with Honolulu Emergency Services said it assisted with death pronouncements after receiving the call at 6:26 p.m. local time, agency spokeswoman Shayne Enright said.
Records from the National Transportation Safety Board show that the doomed aircraft also had a previous close call during a skydiving flight in California three years ago.
According to its website, the single-runway Dillingham Airport primarily serves commercial glider and sky diving operations. The airfield is where the crash occurred
A plume of smoke was filmed above the crash site on Friday after a light-aircraft on a skydiving trip crashed in Hawaii
On July 23, 2016, it’s reported the twin-engine plane stalled and barrel rolled three times, which instigators later determined was caused by a piloting error.
All 14 parachutists on board were able to safely jump from the aircraft as it rotated in the air.
The unidentified pilot was also able to land the aircraft but it suffered substantial damage in the process.
Parts of the tail broke off from stress as the pilot tried to recover from spins.
The plane was also too heavily weighted toward the back, for which investigators again blamed the pilot.
The names, ages and genders of the deceased from Friday’s crash are still yet to be released by authorities.
An experienced pilot who works Dillingham Airfield said that the Oahu Parachute Center owned and operated the flight, adding that they were the only company that flies out that late.
He explained to eTurboNews that there were two crew members and seven passengers on the flight. Three tourists had been planning to jump from the plane joined by three instructors.
The twin engine King Air plane (similar to above) went down near an airfield on Oahu island’s North Shore on Friday
According to its website, the single-runway Dillingham Airport primarily serves commercial glider and sky diving operations. The airport is closed as a result of the accident.
Honolulu mayor Kirk Caldwell said in a tweet he was ‘closely following’ developments, and that ‘our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims.’
A Honolulu City Council member says a review of policies and procedures for skydiving businesses will be undertaken following a deadly crash on Oahu.
Councilwoman Kymberly Pine said Saturday that members will wait for the results of the Federal Aviation Administration investigation before considering action.
She says they will work with state and federal officials to evaluate the policies and protections in place concerning the safety of skydiving businesses, customers, residents and visitors.
Williamson’s family have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the 29-year-old’s unexpected funeral costs.