Cargo plane makes emergency landing in ocean near Honolulu

• A cargo plane with two people on board made an emergency landing on Friday off the coast of Honolulu.
• It went into the water about 1:30 a.m. local time, two miles from Kalaeloa Airport.
• One pilot is in critical condition, and the other is in serious condition, HawaiiNewsNow reported.

A Boeing 737-200 cargo plane with two pilots on board made an emergency landing in the ocean off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii, early Friday morning, officials said.

Transair Flight 810 - operated by Rhoades Aviation Inc. - was forced to land in the water about 1:30 a.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement to Insider, after having trouble with both of its engines.

The emergency landing took place two miles from Kalaeloa Airport.

"The pilots had reported engine trouble and were attempting to return to Honolulu when they were forced to land the aircraft in the water," the FAA said.

Both pilots were rescued by the Coast Guard, authorities confirmed. HawaiiNewsNow reported that one pilot was in critical condition and the other was in serious condition.

A Coast Guard helicopter, airplane, and two boats were dispatched for the rescue.

One pilot was found on the aircraft's tail and was hoisted onto a Coast Guard Eurocopter MH-65 helicopter. The other pilot was found on top of floating packages in the water and was rescued to a Honolulu Fire Department boat after declining to be hoisted into a helicopter.

"The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate," the agency added.

Air-traffic control had cleared the Boeing 737-200, operating as Rhodes Express 810, for takeoff from Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Runway 8R minutes before the incident occurred. Flightradar 24 data then shows the aircraft making an immediate right turn from the runway, climbing to an altitude of 2,000 feet.

Confusion ensued as air-traffic control appeared to miss multiple calls from the aircraft attempting to declare an emergency after experiencing engine issues, according to air-traffic-control recordings reviewed by Insider.

"Rhodes 810, radio check, how do you read?" pilots asked Honolulu Tower after not hearing a response to their emergency call. Air-traffic control had also been communicating and servicing other aircraft throughout the emergency, the recordings show.

Another Rhodes Aviation aircraft sharing a similar call sign was on approach to land, further complicating the airwaves. Pilots didn't immediately return to the airport and kept flying away from Honolulu, saying that they needed to "run a checklist" and would stay about 15 miles from the airport.

"When you get a chance, can I get a nature of the emergency? I know you said an engine out - which one? - how many souls on board and fuel?" air-traffic control asked the pilots as part of standard protocol.

Twin-engine jet aircraft can fly on a single engine in the event one is lost. A United Airlines flight in February was able to land safely at Denver International Airport after losing an engine shortly after takeoff.

But by the time the aircraft requested to head back to Honolulu airport, they had lost sight of the airport and needed air-traffic control to provide vectors, or course directions. Pilots anticipated losing both engines after the operating engine showed signs of overheating, which would've ruined the aircraft's ability to maintain viable altitude and speed to land safely at Honolulu or any airport if too far from shore.

"Proceed direct to the airport and you are cleared to land any runway," air-traffic control advised.

"Will you let the Coast Guard know? We can't maintain altitude," one pilot said.

"Rhodes Express 810, the Coast Guard is on their way," air-traffic control said, and then suggested a diversion to nearby Kalaeloa Airport, three miles away. It was unclear if the pilots turned the aircraft in an attempt to land at Kalaeloa Airport, but the plane couldn't maintain altitude and landed in the water.

The entire flight, from takeoff to the emergency water landing, lasted less than 15 minutes.

The Boeing 737-200 involved was 46 years old and had started its life flying for Pacific Western Airlines in Canada, according to Planespotters.net. After numerous stints in Canada and Malaysia, it found its way to Hawaii flying for Transair in July 2014.