9 dead as plane crashes in Hawaii, believed during skydiving trip

Nine passengers and crew were killed on Friday night when their plane crashed near an airfield in Hawaii, authorities said, during what broadcaster CNN said was a skydiving trip.

The twin-engine King Air plane went down near the Dillingham Airfield, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) said. The fire service said the aircraft was engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived and there appeared to be no survivors.

"We are still gathering information as to the intent of the flight and what they were doing," Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel Neves told a news conference.

CNN said the plane was on a skydiving excursion and that Federal Aviation Administration would investigate the crash.

Dillingham is a joint-use airfield operated by the HDOT under a 25-year lease from the U.S. army, according to its website.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Kobe Bryant wants to go skydiving after NBA retirement

After he's done being Kobe Bryant the basketball player, we may see Kobe Bryant the skydiver, next.

Chatting with Jared Greenberg and former Lakers teammate Rick Fox of SiriusXM NBA radio per James Herbert of CBS Sports, Bryant wants to go extreme after he retires at the end of this season.

"I'm looking forward to skiing a little bit. I've never been skiing before. Maybe do a little surfing, maybe. Maybe a little skydiving," Bryant said.

According to Fox, whowas part of the Lakers dynasty of the early 2000s, the NBA does not allow those extreme sports for fear of injury.

Bryant can skydive all he wants after he completes his 20th and final season.

This story was originally published on the ABS-CBN Sports website.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Five feared dead in Australia plane crash

BRISBANE - Five people are feared dead after a light plane crashed at an airfield in eastern Australia on Saturday, emergency service workers said.

The plane, used for skydiving, took off before veering left, crashing and bursting into flames at Caboolture, 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Brisbane.

"We received a call from the airfield and sent three crews to a light plane that had crashed," a Queensland Fire and Rescue Service official told AFP. "The fire was extinguished in 10 minutes."

Queensland Police said: "It is believed that five people were on board and that all are deceased."

Bryan Carpenter, who works at the airfield, said the plane was a Cessna 206, which carried between five and six people on skydiving flights.

He told Sky News the burning high-octane fuel destroyed the plane within just one minute.

"On impact with the ground (the plane) immediately burst into flames and there were no survivors," he said.

"This is the worst-ever fatality accident we've suffered (at Caboolture)."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com