The Latest: No immediate agency comment on safety rules

By Associated Press 25 June 2019, 12:00AM

HONOLULU (AP) — The Latest on a fatal plane crash in Hawaii (all times local):

2 p.m.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says he's not immediately able to comment on the National Transportation Safety Board's demand that his agency strengthen skydiving regulations.

Gregor says he's reviewing the NTSB's 2008 recommendations to his agency that it strengthen skydiving regulations and studying his agency's responses to those recommendations. He says he isn't immediately able to comment as a result.

NTSB member Jennifer Homendy told a news conference that her agency recommended more than a decade ago that the FAA tighten rules on skydiving pilot training, aircraft maintenance and inspection, and oversight.

But Homendy says the FAA hasn't acted on those recommendations.

She made her remarks after a skydiving plane crashed in Hawaii on Friday and killed all 11 people on board.

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1:50 p.m.

The Navy says a 27-year-old sailor was among those killed when a skydiving plane crashed shortly after takeoff of Oahu's North Shore.

The Navy says in a news release that Lt. Joshua Drablos was confirmed to have been on the twin-engine plane when it crashed Friday, killing all 11 people on board.

The Navy says Drablos was "an invaluable member" of the U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, based in Kunia, Hawaii.

The release lists Maryland as Drablos' home of record.

The Navy did not immediately respond to requests for further information.

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1:15 p.m.

The National Transportation Safety Board says it's putting the Federal Aviation Administration on notice that it must tighten its regulations governing parachute operations after a skydiving plane in Hawaii crashed and killed all 11 people on board.

NTSB member Jennifer Homendy told a news conference on Monday that her agency recommended to the FAA in 2008 that it boost regulations on pilot training, aircraft maintenance and inspection, and FAA oversight.

But Homendy says the FAA hasn't acted on those recommendations.

The FAA did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The plane crashed Friday evening just inside the perimeter fence of an airfield on the north shore of Oahu island.

Federal officials have said the plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

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10:15 a.m.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner has completed autopsies for the 11 people killed when a skydiving plane crashed and burned in Hawaii.

City spokesman Andrew Pereira says the cause of death for each victim was multiple blunt force injuries due to the plane crash.

There were 10 men and one woman on board the plane.

Pereira says the medical examiner may make public the identities of some of the victims on Monday.

The plane crashed Friday evening just inside the perimeter fence of an airfield on the north shore of Oahu island.

Federal officials have said the plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

— This version corrects that the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, not that it was returning to the airfield.

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9:35 a.m.

The father of a man killed in a skydiving plane crash last weekend in Hawaii said his son was passionate about skydiving and jumped as much as he could because he wanted to be a skydiving videographer.

Garret Tehero (TAY'-hare-oh) said Monday that 23-year-old Jordan Tehero of Kauai island was among the 11 people who died in Friday's crash at a small seaside airport about an hour north of Honolulu. Officials have not made public the identities of the victims.

The father says his son took up skydiving a few years ago as a distraction from a relationship breakup.

Garret Tehero says his son then "went and fell in love" with the sport. Jordan Tehero went on to get his skydiving certificate in California.

The father describes his son as a friendly person who loved life and was a devout Christian who prayed before every flight.

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12 a.m.

Officials are still at the scene of Friday's deadly skydiving plane crash in Hawaii.

Federal investigators will review repair and inspection records on the skydiving plane that became inverted before crashing shortly after takeoff on Oahu's North Shore, killing all 11 people on board in the deadliest civil aviation accident since 2011.

The same plane sustained substantial damage to its tail section in a 2016 accident while carrying skydivers over Northern California.

Repairs were then made to get the plane back into service, National Transportation Safety Board officials said at a news conference Sunday.

Officials say the plane was equipped to carry 13 people.

By Associated Press 25 June 2019, 12:00AM

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