Power loss left plane unable to clear peaks, NTSB reports

A National Transportation Safety Board summary and a recently released pilot’s statement provide a harrowing account of a Jan. 16 emergency landing in densely wooded terrain on Molo­kai.

A passenger on the flight was seriously injured. Three others, including the pilot, sustained minor injuries.

According to the documents, pilot Michael Richards, a certified flight instructor, was providing introductory flight instruction to Japa­nese visitor Mari Yama­hata during a scheduled two-hour flight aboard a Cessna 172N, which is registered to Richards’ business, Hawaiian Night Lights LLC. Yama­hata’s parents were also aboard the flight.

Due to unfavorable weather conditions around Oahu, Richards and Yama­hata agreed to fly to Molo­kai rather than follow the typical flight route around Oahu.

The flight left Hono­lulu at about 1:15 p.m. The flight to Molo­kai was uneventful, and Richards allowed Yama­hata to manipulate some of the controls under his instruction.

Along the eastern shore of Molo­kai, Richards took the controls and steered the plane inland toward Kalau­papa in preparation for the return to Oahu.

However, as Richards reported in his statement, "while in a strait (sic) climb heading 290 degrees toward Kalau­papa at an altitude of 3,000 ft. MSL (mean sea level) I noticed the aircraft not producing full power even though the throttle was fully applied."

Later, Richards noted, "We continued flight over the mountainous terrain toward the ocean but found our ability to climb diminishing quickly."

Richards cleared a ridge but found that the aircraft was beginning to descend at a rate of 400 feet per minute. Unable to ascend past the surrounding mountain terrain, Richards sent out an emergency call and tried to explain to his Japa­nese passengers that they were about to crash.

"They didn’t fully understand the gravity of the situation as we had a language barrier problem," Richards wrote. "As the valley came to an end and I knew we were going to crash, I lowered the flaps and configured the aircraft for landing. I told the passengers to brace for impact, then landed the plane into the trees as carefully as possible."

The plane came to rest in a wooded area within a crevasse just below a ridgeline.

All four people aboard the plane were able to exit through the right door. Yama­hata’s mother, Emiko, suffered a broken thighbone and was transported to Maui Memorial Hospital.

The NTSB factual report, issued June 16, said that the inaccessible terrain prevented an on-site inspection of the plane. Further, the plane was not insured and had not yet been recovered.

The Jan. 16 incident was the third time Richards survived a forced landing.

On Aug. 16, 2007, Richards was conducting an instructional flight aboard a rented Cessna 172 when the aircraft suffered a loss of power and he was forced to land in an open field on Lanai. Neither Richards nor his two passengers were injured. However, Richards set off an emergency flare upon landing, accidentally triggering a 25-acre brush fire.

On June 24, 2014, Richards was piloting another instructional flight aboard another Cessna 172 when the aircraft lost power. Richards brought the plane down in an open field near the Costco in Wai­pio. Rich­ards and his passenger both escaped injury.