Hard landing at Molokai airport under investigation

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HONOLULU — Federal investigators are looking into what caused a small plane on Molokai to make a hard landing and then go off the runway.

HONOLULU — Federal investigators are looking into what caused a small plane on Molokai to make a hard landing and then go off the runway.

The mishap happened Saturday morning at the Kalaupapa Airport. All nine passengers and the pilot were able to escape without any injuries.

Makani Kai Air President Richard Schuman says his company’s Cessna 208 Caravan was heading from Oahu and preparing to land when the pilot had to make a last-minute maneuver to avoid another aircraft on the runway.

The small airport does not have an air traffic controller so the pilots communicate directly with one another.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed there was another plane on the runway at the time of the Cessna’s landing but did not say whether it was involved in the incident.