Downed plane had a new engine and no prior troubles, owner says

The owner of the plane that crash-landed beneath Moanalua Freeway on Friday said the aircraft had a clean safety record and a new engine.

Three people were seriously injured in the crash, which occurred shortly before 1:17 p.m.

Jahn Mueller, who owns Aircraft Maintenance & Flight School Hawaii, rented the single-engine Piper PA28 to one of the men on board. He declined to identify the man and said he has not been in contact with him since the crash.

In a statement released Saturday afternoon through local public relations company Diane Ako PR, Mueller expressed sympathy to those involved and praised the actions of both the pilot and several witnesses who helped to remove the injured men from the plane.

“My heart goes out to the pilot and passengers and their families,” Mueller said. “We commend the pilot for steering the plane to minimize tragedy. We thank the bystanders who helped assist the victims.”

The plane caught fire after landing. Honolulu Fire Department crews brought the fire under control within minutes and used absorbent pads and booms to contain the spilled fuel.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.

The four-seat, fixed-wing plane was manufactured in 1971 and has been registered to Mueller since April 22, 2016.

Mueller did not specify when the new engine had been installed.

A review of the National Transportation Safety Board accident database supported Mueller’s claim that the plane had no previous accidents or other emergency incidents.

Mueller said that the plane had been flown only once on Friday before the fateful flight that ended in Moanalua Stream.