A 76-year-old Kula woman died when the 1941 Ford Woody station wagon she was driving crashed on Haleakala Highway on Maui Sunday night.

She has been identified as Linda Howlett, according to the Maui Police Department.

The crash occurred about .3 miles west of Keahua Road near mile-marker 3 just before 8:25 p.m.

Police said a preliminary investigation revealed the 1941 Ford Woody station wagon driven by Howlett was traveling eastbound on the highway when she lost control of the vehicle.

The station wagon crossed the grass median, flipped over and landed in the westbound lanes of the highway.

“The preliminary investigation further reveals the vehicle sustained a mechanical failure which may have contributed in the crash,” the police department said in a news release early today.

Howlett died at the scene.

A 76-year-old male passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the Maui Memorial Medical Center.

Both Howlett and her passenger were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, police said, adding that speed, drugs or alcohol were not factors in the wreck.

This is the 15th traffic-related fatality in Maui County this year compared with six at the same time last year.