Transair B732 Ditches into Ocean off Honolulu | "We can't maintain altitude"

On July 2, 2021, Transair Flight 810, a Boeing 737-200C cargo aircraft, departed Honolulu International Airport for Kahului, Maui. Shortly after takeoff, the crew reported that one engine had failed and that the other might also fail.

The crew declared an emergency and began troubleshooting while attempting to keep the aircraft airborne. The aircraft could not maintain altitude normally, and the crew considered returning to Honolulu.

The situation became more difficult as the crew worked to determine which engine was producing usable thrust. The aircraft continued losing altitude and moved toward the ocean.

The crew ultimately ditched in Mamala Bay, about 5.5 miles southwest of Honolulu. The ditching occurred approximately eleven minutes after departure.

Both pilots survived the impact. The U.S. Coast Guard responded and rescued them from the water. The captain suffered serious injuries, while the first officer also survived.

The later NTSB investigation found that the right engine had suffered turbine-blade fractures associated with stress rupture, oxidation and corrosion. Investigators also found that the flight crew misidentified the damaged engine after levelling the aircraft and reducing thrust, then used only the damaged engine for thrust during the remainder of the flight.

That sequence produced an unintended descent and forced ditching. The NTSB also identified ineffective crew resource management, high workload and stress as contributing factors.

The accident is therefore more complicated than a simple engine failure. The initial mechanical failure created the emergency, but the subsequent identification and management of the engine problem affected how much usable thrust remained.

The successful rescue of both pilots did not make the ditching minor. The aircraft was lost and the captain was seriously injured. It did, however, demonstrate the value of the crew continuing to communicate with ATC and Coast Guard personnel as the aircraft descended toward the water.

The crew's final emergency problem was captured in the phrase We can’t maintain altitude.

The crew’s emergency was captured in the phrase We can’t maintain altitude.

Accident Facts

Recorded line: “We can’t maintain altitude.”

Sources

NTSB accident record WPR21FA204 / Flight 810 investigation — https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/query-builder/claim/accident/2021

VASAviation archive — https://archive.ventilaar.net/watch?v=B3fpQcRSnFE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLvXoOCUSmM