Hawaii Tour Plane Missing With 11 May Have Sent Emergency Signal
HONOLULU — A sightseeing plane that vanished between the islands of Hawaii and Maui with 11 people aboard may have sent out an emergency signal Monday, but foul weather prevented rescuers from searching for it.
“There’s an emergency signal coming from a valley, and we think it could be the plane,” said Coast Guard spokesman Keith Spangler. “But the weather’s so bad helicopters can’t go in, and otherwise it’s about a 10-hour hike.”
A Coast Guard helicopter picked up the emergency transmitter’s signal from the remote Waimanu Valley region of the island, which is on the northwest end and within the flight path of the missing Scenic Air Tours Hawaii plane, Spangler said.
The plane disappeared Sunday on what was to have been an hourlong flight.
“We’re getting all our information together and seeing if the weather will let up,” Spangler said. Heavy rain and low clouds persisted in the area Monday.
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