AIRPLANE THAT CRASHED IN
MOKULEIA LAST MONTH -- KILLING
11
PEOPLE -- HAD BEEN ORDERED TO
STOP ITS SKYDIVING OPERATION
WELL BEFORE THE FATAL
CRASH.
GINA MANGIERI IS ALWAYS
INVESTIGATING AND HAS DETAILS.
GINA
AND DESIST ORDER FROM THE STATE
DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION EARLIER THIS
SPRING AND TODAY HAS BEEN TOLD
TO LEAVE.
WE FOUND OUT THERE MAY BE
LABOR-DEPARTMENT ISSUES, TOO,
THAT COULD MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR
FAMILIES TO COLLECT WHAT IS OWED
WHEN WORKERS DIE ON THE JOB.
SOURCES TELL ALWAYS
INVESTIGATING THAT OAHU
PARACHUTE CENTER HAS BEEN GIVEN
FACILITY. THE PLANE THAT CRASHED
IN JUNE SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF
WAS OPC'S ONLY AIRCRAFT AND THEY
SINCE THE ACCIDENT.
NOW WE'VE LEARNED OPC WAS
SUPPOSED TO HAVE STOPPED
SKYDIVING LONG BEFORE THE CRASH,
AFTER THE DOT SERVED OPC A
CEASE AND DESIST NOTICE IN APRIL
OVER BUSINESS AND AIRCRAFT
REGISTRATION ISSUES. THE
SUSPENSION DATE WAS MAY 15TH,
MORE THAN A MONTH BEFORE THE
ACCIDENT.
THE OWNER, GEORGE RIVERA, HAS
NOT RESPONDED TO OUR REQUESTS
FOR COMMENT ABOUT THIS.
DECLINING TO COMMENT DESPITE
ALWAYS INVESTIGATING ASKING
REPEATEDLY FOR WEEKS ABOUT WHAT
KIND OF LEASE, INSURANCE, AND
PERMISSIONS TO OPERATE THE
COMPANY HAD IN THE FIRST PLACE.
NO PUBLICLY AVAILABLE STATE-
APPROVED PERMIT OR LEASE COULD
BE READILY LOCATED WHILE SIMILAR
AGREEMENTS CAN BE FOUND FOR
OTHER SIMILAR AIRPORT
HAWAII'S WORST WORKPLACE
ACCIDENTS, KILLING MORE STAFF
THAN ANY OTHER ON-THE-JOB
INCIDENT -- EIGHT
ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT WORKED FOR
OAHU PARACHUTE CENTER, 3 WERE
GUESTS. THE COMPANY'S DOT
COMPLIANCE ISSUES HAVE THE
STATE LABOR DEPARTMENT ON GUARD
TOO.
SCOTT MURAKAMI, LABOR DEPARTMENT
UP SOME RED FLAGS FOR US
BECAUSE OF THE DOT ISSUES ABOUT
THEIR BUSINESS COMPLIANCE, THOSE
ISSUES, WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT
THE EMPLOYEES ARE TAKEN CARE OF
ALWAYS INVESTIGATING HAS LEARNED
OAHU PARACHUTE CENTER HAD NO
STATE LABOR DEPARTMENT
REGISTRATIONS ON FILE FOR
UNEMPLOYMENT
WORKERS' COMPENSATION
PREPAID HEALTH CARE OR
TEMPORARY DISABILITY INSURANCE
WORKERS COMP ALONE IS SUPPOSED
TO GUARANTY PAYOUTS TO FAMILIES
OF 280,000 PER PERSON KILLED ON
THE JOB,
REGARDLESS OF LIABILITY OR
FAULT. CLAIMS MUST BE FILED
WITHIN 2 YEARS OF THE ACCIDENT.
SCOTT MURAKAMI, LABOR DEPARTMENT
DIRECTOR-OUR HEARTFELT
CONDOLENCES, WE KNOW SOME TIME
HAS PASSED BUT BY ALL
MEANS PLEASE WHEN YOU'RE READY
COME TO OUR DEPARTMENT OR GIVE
US A CALL, FILE THE INQUIRY AND
WE'LL LOOK ON THEIR BEHALF
THE LACK OF LABOR DEPARTMENT
EMPLOYMENT FILINGS COULD BE
BECAUSE OAHU PARACHUTE CENTER
MAY HAVE BEEN
CLASSIFYING WORKERS AS
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS AND NOT
AS EMPLOYEES, A PRACTICE OTHERS
IN AVIATION SAY IS COMMON IN
HAWAII
ADAM TOWNLEY-WREN, PILOT: IT
WOULD NOT BE UNUSUAL AT ALL.
IT'S DONE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY
THEY HANDLED IT BUT I CAN SAY
THE INDUSTRY STANDARD IN THE
SKYDIVING INDUSTRY AND IN A LOT
OF SMALL
AVIATION IS THAT PILOTS AND
PARACHUTE JUMPERS AND THE TANDEM
MASTERS ARE USUALLY INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTORS
GINA UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES
WOULD YOU START TO LOOK AT THIS
BUSINESS OR ANY OTHER AND START
TO TEST WHETHER THEY'RE
CLASSIFYING
CORRECTLY? SCOTT MURAKAMI, LABOR
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR: AS LONG AS
WE GET AN INQUIRY FROM THE
FAMILY OR ANY OF THE SURVIVING
MEMBERS OR A BENEFACTOR, AS LONG
AS WE GET THAT INQUIRY WE'LL
LOOK INTO IT, SO I WOULD
ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET IN TOUCH
WITH OUR OFFICE
AND WE'LL STAR THE INQUIRY RIGHT
ALL GOOD EMPLOYERS SHOULD CARE
ABOUT THEIR EMPLOYEES, THEY'RE
YOUR NUMBER 1 ASSET SO TAKE CARE
OF THEM, PAY INTO THE PROGRAMS
THAT
ENTITLE THEM BENEFITS
OAHU PARACHUTE CENTER OPERATED
OUT OF A STRUCTURE BUILT WITHOUT
PERMITS, SOURCES SAY NONE OF THE
STRUCTURES AT
DILLINGHAM HAD PERMITS. DOT HAD
NO STRUCTURE APPROVAL PROCESS IN
PLACE, AND THE AIRFIELD LACKS
UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE
IN GENERAL. CRITICS OF AIRPORT
MANAGEMENT SAY THE LACK OF
FACILITIES STRAINS MAINTENANCE
AND SAFETY.
ADAM TOWNLEY-WREN, PILOT: THESE
OPERATORS UP AT DILLINGHAM, I
KNOW ALL OF THEM FIRST HAND,
THEY'VE BEEN APPLYING FOR YEARS
TO BUILD
MAINTENANCE FACILITIES.
IF YOU WANT TO MAINTAIN YOUR
AIRCRAFT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF
OPTIONS UP THERE BECAUSE THE
STATE WON'T ALLOW IT
GINA:
WE'VE POSTED A LINK TO LABOR
DEPARMENT INFORMATION ABOUT
WORKERS COMP DEATH BENEFITS, AND
HOW FAMILIES CAN SUBMIT CLAIMS.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW UP ON
THE
COMPANY'S STATUS WITH THE
TRANSPORATION, LABOR AND OTHER
STATE DEPARTMENTS AND ON THE
STATUS OF THE FEDERAL
INVESTIGATION.
GINA MANGIERI, KHON2 NEWS.
JOE: