Island Air flight MKU419 (OGG-HNL) was forced to land on Runway 8R today after someone called in a bomb threat. The Dash8-100 is seen above landing on "Reef Runway", this was right before I was commanded not to take pictures by a Hawai‘i Sheriff's Department deputy.
I just happened to be there to watch planes while I ate lunch, and had my camera with me. After hearing on my scanner of the flight diversion to land on 8R, and seeing the fire trucks scramble down Taxiway RA and RT. Another spotter and myself waited to see what was about to happen. We saw the Dash8 about a mile out on a right base leg for 8R, and I popped up through my sunroof to get the landing photos. The fire trucks followed the Dash8 until it it exited 8R on Taxiway RG. Minutes after coming to a stop, and passengers and crew evacuating, Sheriff's Dept. cruisers, TSA cars, HIK fire trucks, and the HIK EOD team scrambled to the plane. An airport Wiki-wiki bus transported the passengers back to the terminal.
Fortunately, no device was found, and the investigation continues.
The above photo was also submitted to Hawaii News Now, and subsequently run online & on Sunrise.
2 comments:
Great job for capturing the moment!! Nice to see everybody safe.
Whats the point of no photo from the Sheriff? Tell him this ain't no China.
Maybe the photo you took can be an important source for investigation if anything suddenly happened at that moment, really sick of this people who think they have all the power but say things without using their brain.
So the deputy said no more photos...give me a break. If there had been a bomb, and it had been exploded, a photo would be a crucial piece of information in the investigation. I really think you should follow up that comment with the upper echelons of law enforcement and just say, look, we're on your side. Stop viewing spotters as terrorists-in-training. In an emergency, there are really, REALLY useful aspects to having eyes out there.
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