Mk58 Hawker Hunter Has Gone Down Off Oahu, Hawaii

December 13, 2018 Latest News 2,940 Views

A Mk58 Hawker Hunter from the Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) crashed into waters near the island. The pilot is reported to have survived, thankfully, but is in serious condition.

#BREAKING: First video into our newsroom of the military plane crash in waters off Honolulu. The pilot, a 47-year-old male, suffered serious injuries. Details: https://t.co/ltGLiSMEr1 pic.twitter.com/f9AHrwk3Jn
— Hawaii News Now (@HawaiiNewsNow) December 13, 2018

The operation has resulted in a complete halt of all departing flights out of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, which would indicate the aircraft crashed close to the airfield.

Departing flights at #HNL are temporarily held as a precaution due to an aviation incident offshore involving a military plane. Passengers are encouraged to check their flight status with their airline. More details to follow.
— Hawaii DOT (@DOTHawaii) December 13, 2018

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport is co-located with Hickam Air Force Base, which is a major hub for military aircraft movements in the Pacific.

It’s also home to the 15th Wing which includes a variety of aircraft including F-22As, C-17s, KC-135s, C-40s, and C-37s.

There has been an unpublicized large air warfare exercise going on over the waters off Hawaii in recent days. Air National Guard F-15s from Oregon and F/A-18s from Navy test squadrons VX-9 and VX-31 are supposedly taking part in the drills.

A handful of the vintage electronic warfare pod packing jets operate from Hawaii year-round, acting as contracted aggressor targets during exercises and more mundane training like replicating anti-ship missile attack profiles on warships. You can read all about these aircraft and what they do in this magazine feature I wrote about them years ago.