Tag Archives: N810TA

NTSB to recover the TransAir Boeing 737-200 that ditched in the Pacific Ocean near Honolulu

The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled a media briefing on Saturday, Oct. 9, in Honolulu to detail the NTSB’s coordination of the operation to recover the wreckage of a Boeing 737 cargo jet off the ocean floor.

NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator, Lorenda Ward, will brief the media on the purpose and scope of the operation, the vessels, equipment and staffing involved, how the operation will be accomplished and the expected timeline for completion. Ms. Ward will take questions following her prepared remarks. The briefing will be held outdoors.

Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura.

The wreckage being recovered is a Boeing 737-200 freighter (Boeing 737-275C N810TA, msn 21116) (above), operated as TransAir flight 810 when it was ditched in Mamala Bay shortly after takeoff from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 2, 2021. Both pilots, the only two occupants onboard, survived. The wreckage came to rest on an ocean shelf at a depth ranging from 350-450 feet.

The NTSB previously made this announcement:

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of investigators to the ditching site of a Boeing 737 cargo jet off the Hawaiian island of Oahu to coordinate the recovery of the wreckage from the ocean floor.

Rhoades Aviation Inc, dba TransAir Flight 810, a Boeing 737-200 bound for Kahului, Hawaii, on July 2, reported anomalies in both engines and subsequently ditched into Mamala Bay shortly after takeoff from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii. The two pilots escaped from the wreckage and were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Honolulu Airport Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Unit.

โ€œThe wreckage of TransAir flight 810 contains important investigative information, including that captured by the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder,โ€ said NTSB Chair Jennifer L. Homendy. โ€œHaving access to the recorders, the engines and other components will be critical to understanding not only how this accident occurred, but how future accidents might be prevented.โ€

โ€‹The fuselage broke into two pieces: the aft section with the wings and tail attached, and the forward section that includes the cockpit. Both engines separated from the wings at impact. All the wreckage is on an ocean shelf at a depth ranging from 350 to 450 feet. The site is about two miles from Ewa Beach in Honolulu.

TransAirโ€™s insurance provider contracted with several companies to bring the wreckage and cargo to the surface. The major equipment involved in the recovery operation will be a research vessel with remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and a barge equipped with a crane.

The recovery effort is expected to begin on or about October 9. Several NTSB investigators will be aboard the research vessel to coordinate the recovery effort.

Although there was an initial underwater survey done shortly after the ditching to confirm the location and disposition of the wreckage, the team will conduct another survey with the ROVs to determine if there have been any changes to the orientation of the wreckage.

Following the survey, the ROVs will be used to rig each of the engines and fuselage sections and brought to the surface.

The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder are located in the aft fuselage of the airplane and will be recovered after that section is brought to the surface. The recorders are of particular interest to investigators because of the flight and cockpit information they can provide about the performance and operation of the airplane. The recorders will be transported to the NTSB Recorder Laboratory in Washington, D.C., where they will be downloaded for analysis.

NTSB investigators will document the wreckage in Honolulu before the engines and other selected components are crated and shipped to facilities on the U.S. mainland for further examination and testing.

The entire recovery operation is expected to take 10 to 14 days, depending on the weather and other factors.

The NTSB investigator-in-charge will hold a media briefing in Honolulu on Oct. 8 to provide additional information and further details about the recovery operation. The location and time of the briefing will be announced the week of Oct. 3.

NTSB Investigation of Transair flight 810 ditching continues

The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the crash of Transair flight 810 on July 2, 2021 continues as investigators continue to gather information and evidence.

Rhoades Aviation Inc., dba Transair, flight 810, a Boeing 737-200 (N810TA), ditched in the waters of Mamala Bay near Honolulu, shortly after takeoff from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Hawaii. Flight 810 was operating under Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 121, as a cargo flight bound for Kahului International Airport, Kahului, Hawaii. Both members of the two-person flight crew were injured and were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and Honolulu Fire Department. The airplane was substantially damaged and sank.

The NTSB’s investigation began Friday with the arrival in Hawaii of several investigators. The remainder of the NTSB’s Go Team arrived late afternoon Saturday.

The NTSB conducted an organizational meeting Saturday evening with the parties to the investigation which include:

  • The Federal Aviation Administration
  • The Boeing Company
  • Pratt and Whitney
  • The National Air Traffic Controllers Association
  • Rhoades Aviation

The Investigator-in-Charge formed the followingย investigative groups:

  • Powerplants
  • Airplane Systems
  • Structures
  • Operations
  • Human Performance
  • Air Traffic Control
  • Maintenance Records
  • Cockpit Voice Recorder
  • Flight Data Recorder

The team is also supported by NTSB specialists in Meteorology and Airports who are working from the NTSB’s headquarters.

A small amount of floating debris was recovered and taken to Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, where it was examined by NTSB investigators.

Before the cockpit voice and flight data recorders can be recovered, the exact location of the plane on the ocean floor must be determined. Investigators plan to use side scan sonar Monday to survey the debris field, the condition of the airplane and its location, including how far beneath the surface the plane sank. That information will be used to determine how and when the recorders could be recovered and then how and if the airplane will be salvaged.

Meanwhile investigators are scheduling interviews with flight 810’s two pilots, air traffic controllers, and Transair maintenance employees.

In general terms, NTSB investigators develop factual information in three areas: the people involved in an accident, the equipment involved in the accident and the environment in which the accident occurred.ย โ€‹

The NTSB has released the following photos of the aircraft that broke apart on ditching:

 

A classic 46-YO Boeing 737-275C is forced to ditch in the Pacific Ocean near Honolulu

Transair (Hawaii) (Rhoades Aviation, Inc. d/b/a Transair) Boeing 737-275C N810TA (msn 21116) today (July 2) was operating a cargo flight T4 810 this morning from Honolulu to Kahului (Kona).

After departure from HNL, the crew was forced to ditch in the Pacific Ocean as it was attempting to return to the airport. The crew reported an engine failure and was having difficulty maintaining altitude when it ditched.

The two crew members were rescued at sea.

The airframe was originally delivered to Pacific Western Airlines as C-GDPW on October 10, 1975.

More from CBS News: Boeing 737 cargo plane makes emergency landing in Pacific Ocean off Hawaii; 2 pilots rescued – CBS News

Video presentation:

The company has been operating since 1982.

The combined Transair and Transair Express all-cargo fleet of five (now four) Boeing 737-200s and five Shorts SD3-60-300 aircraft fly daily to all major Hawaiian island destinations of Kauai, Maui, Kona and Hilo with extended service to Lanai and Molokai.

All images by the airline.

Route Map:

Transair (Hawaii) aircraft photo gallery: