Waimea, United States: Five people survived after a Gippsland GA-8 aircraft crashed in a field in Waimea, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, during an emergency landing on October 30, 2026. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that all five people were on board when the aircraft crashed at approximately 9 a.m. local time. The FAA said it would investigate the accident.
According to a preliminary report cited in a press release by the County of Kauai, the Kauai Fire Department (KFD) received a report shortly before 9 a.m. about a single-engine aircraft that had made an emergency landing in the Menehune Road area of Waimea. The County confirmed that five people were on board. The department stated, “One person sustained apparent injuries. The four others were not injured.”
The Kauai Fire Department said rescue crews extricated the injured passenger from the aircraft and carried the person out on a litter. The rescue operation involved firefighters from Waimea and Hanapepe, specialist rescue teams, emergency medical personnel, airport firefighters, police officers and local landowners.
The crash site was located on private property owned by the Robinson family, on the Hanapepe side of the river, where the absence of paved roads made access difficult for rescue teams. Kauaʻi Fire Chief Michael Gibson told Hawaii News Now that ground crews reached the site using dirt roads and private land. He said the injured person, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, was airlifted to a landing zone before being transported to hospital by ambulance.
Expressing relief that all five people survived, Gibson said, “We are just very relieved that nobody was tragically hurt.” He added, “As far as we know, the pilot reacted calmly and here we have it, five people are able to go on with their lives and the worst did not happen.”
In its October 30 accident statement, the FAA identified the aircraft as a Gippsland GA-8 and confirmed that it crashed in a field in Waimea at around 9 a.m. local time. The agency stated, “The FAA will investigate.” The FAA also clarified that information published on its accident and incident statements page is preliminary and subject to change.
The Kauai Fire Department’s initial press release did not provide the aircraft registration, operator, flight origin or destination, or the circumstances that led to the emergency landing. The cause of the accident has not been established.
