The Makani Kai Air pilot was an 18,000-hour former captain for Aloha Airlines--what a demotion to be flying a puddle jumper!--and would know not to turn away from the runway heading until he's reached at least 500'. Sure enough, the top picture shows the fateful craft above 400' with yet another 26 seconds to go before he ends his take-off video portion.
The lower picture shows the craft no longer above the ground, yet with at least another 15 seconds to go.
Such an experienced pilot knows the altitudes in the take-off profile that would have been a habit for him in the Grand Caravan. To tell the FAA the falsehood that he was at about 300' rounding the turn for Honolulu would mean he would have had to begin his turn immediately upon rotation, which for a Part 135 commuter airline pilot spells "reckless and dangerous" to FAA Inspectors, yet the FAA file on the crash makes no mention of pilot certificate action.
How do we suppose in over two and a half years of investigation that the NTSB team of investigators let the pilot's changing representations about his altitude stand in the NTSB final reports despite their having the very evidence shown in this slide? Is that called, "looking the other way?" Could it be something more? Worse!? And would that be called corruption?
The videographer, who met with the pilot after crash day and has been FB friends with him later gave a media interview, in which he said the craft descended from betwenn 1000' and 1500'. Whoopsie! That sounds a whole lot more accurate than what the pilot told the FAA and NTSB! Why would he say such a thing!? What in the world is tougher to tame that the tongue!?
