Flight recording reveals confusion and chaos as a cargo plane made an emergency water landing near Hawaii
Flight records from an emergency plane landing on Friday reveal confusion as pilots asked for help.
Air traffic controllers were assisting another flight and appeared to miss the emergency calls.
The plane eventually landed in the water near Hawaii, and the US Coast Guard rescued the pilots.
Flight records from an emergency plane landing near Honolulu on Friday reveal confusion ensued with air traffic control as the pilots tried to call in an emergency.
Transair Flight 810, a Boeing 737-200 cargo plane operated by Rhoades Aviation, Inc with just two pilots on board, made an emergency landing in the water early Friday morning after having trouble with both of its engines.
Air traffic control had cleared the plane to take off from Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport just minutes before the incident occurred, but controllers appeared to miss multiple emergency calls from the flight's pilots, according to air traffic control recordings reviewed by Insider.
Air traffic controllers had been communicating with a second Rhodes Aviation aircraft throughout the incident, causing further confusion.
Eventually, air traffic control acknowledged the emergency and asked: "When you get a chance, can I get a nature of the emergency, I know you said an engine out, - which one? - how many souls on board and fuel?"
The pilots decided to keep flying instead of immediately returning back to the airport.
By the time the aircraft asked to return to Honolulu airport, it had lost sight of the airport and required assistance in finding its way back.
The air traffic controller - who sounds stressed in the final moments of the flight, per the recording - suggested diverting to nearby Kalaeloa Airport but the aircraft couldn't maintain altitude, ultimately resulting in the emergency water landing.
Both pilots were rescued by the Coast Guard - one in critical condition and one in serious condition, HawaiiNewsNow reported. Their current conditions are unknown.
Read the original article on Business Insider
