R.I.P. Peter Miller

[Bud]

A sad day and a huge loss. Peter was an incredible surfer. Condolences to his family.

http://www.thehonoluluadvertiser.com/ap ... /603090343


osted on: Thursday, March 9, 2006

Air ambulance crash kills three on Maui

By Christie Wilson and Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writers


Firefighters foamed down the area around the wreckage of a Hawaii Air Ambulance plane that crashed last night into the lot of a BMW dealership in Kahului, Maui. A witness said a ball of flame shot 100 feet into the air. The Cessna's pilot and two other people were killed.

MATTHEW THAYER | Maui News

The wreckage of a Hawaii Air Ambulance plane rests among damaged and destroyed cars at a Kahului BMW dealership.

CHRISTIE WILSON | The Honolulu Advertiser
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A patient is removed from a Hawaii Air Ambulance Cessna 414 in this 2001 photo. A similar twin-engine plane was scheduled to land in Kahului last night, but crashed into a BMW dealership, killing three.

Advertiser library photo
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KAHULUI, Maui — A Hawaii Air Ambulance plane crashed last night in a parking lot in Maui's main commercial district, killing all three people aboard.

The twin-engine Cessna 414 crashed in the lot of a BMW auto dealership near busy Hana Highway about 7:15 p.m. There were no survivors, said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

Police Sgt. Jamie Becraft said no one on the ground was injured. Andrew Trumbo, manager of BMW of Maui, said the dealership had closed at 5:45 p.m. and the cleaning crew had not yet arrived.

Andrew Kluger, chairman and CEO of Hawaii Air Ambulance, said the victims were all employees of the company. He identified them as:

# Peter A. Miller, 32, of Kailua, the pilot.

# Brien P. Eisaman, 37, of Waipahu, a registered nurse and assistant chief flight nurse.

# Marlena L. Yomes, 39, of Wai'anae, a mobile intensive care technician.

"On behalf of our staff and crew at Hawaii Air Ambulance, our most heartfelt sympathies go out to the families of our employees in this tragic loss of such exceptional individuals," Kluger said.

The plane departed from Honolulu and was scheduled to land at Kahului Airport at 7:10 p.m. to pick up a patient, Ishikawa said.

Rodger Reilly, 39, a Hawai'i Kai resident who was on Maui for an air-conditioning job, said he was walking to a restaurant at the Triangle Square commercial center when he saw a plane about 500 feet off the ground that looked like it was being buffeted by wind. Its engine sounded weak, he said.

The plane banked right, circled the Kahului commercial area and hit the parking lot, Reilly said.

"There was a horrific crashing sound and an exploding ball of fire about 100 feet in the air," Reilly said. "I thought I was going to die. I thought it was going to hit me."

Other witnesses said they heard a secondary explosion. Cars in the BMW lot were damaged.

Stacey Nagata, 43, of Kahului, was sitting outside her house on Lono Avenue when she saw a small plane circling. She said its engine was sputtering.

The plane barely cleared some power lines before hitting the ground in a loud explosion that some said could be heard in nearby Wailuku.

Patricia Mansfield, 49, of Kahului, was at Maui Marketplace off Dairy Road when she saw a plane flying low.

"It seemed like the pilot was trying to get the plane stable but he couldn't," Mansfield said.

Kluger said he would not speculate on the cause of the crash.

"Hawaii Air Ambulance will reserve any further comments until an investigation has been concluded by the National Transportation Safety Board and those findings are made public," he said. He said the company would keep flying and providing air ambulance services.

A Hawaii Air Ambulance plane crashed on the Big Island on Jan. 31, 2004, killing all three aboard. The Cessna 414A crashed in stormy weather 25 miles northwest of Hilo near 'Umikoa.

Killed were pilot Ron Laubacher, 38, and Honolulu paramedics Joseph Daniel Villiaros, 39, and Mandy Shiraki, 47. The crew was headed to Hilo Medical Center to evacuate a patient.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com and Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.

[LGREANZ]

so sad.

didn't know him personally other than a howzit, or a hoot in the surf.

in the beginning of the season i watched him help the lifeguards rescue a guy from north beach in some serious surf, unfortunatley the victim didn't make it but he helped keep this guy afloat for about 10 minutes till the rescue team got there.

extremly talented surfer, owned the marine corps base.

had a few unreal sessions with him this season, i can remeber one wave inparticular were he got so pitted on this mutant heaving left, jacking right on the reef and shelf, he totaly commited himself to this closeout double up way back in there in the dark, doubting hes gonna make it and watch him get spit out and casually kick out. no claim or nothing just doing what he loved.

i'll never forget that moment

[Bud]

I remember a few years back surfing base, cloudless morning, dead calm pure glass, bathtub warm crystal clear water, near the end of the runway, about 2 feet overhead, monster pounderous knee deep sand bar perfection. Me, Rich, and the Miller bros with a water photog and one on the beach. a few pics from that day made surfermag including IIRC a 2 page spread of Peter getting shacked.

[Haoleboy]

What a tragedy.
My thoughts and prayers go out to their families...

[race]

I remember pulling up to Pyramids one weekday late morning a couple years ago. Light Konas and only two guys out. Well, we park and Mike is walking back up to the parking lot with a broken board and we ask him how it is. "It's about 6 feet and firing," he says "just look at my brother." We both look back down to the surf to see Peter standing tall in a 6 foot mutant and get spat out half way down the beach.

My thoughts go out to his brother, Mike, after losing Bogle first and now his brother.


I also heard David Aluli passed away. He was a younger charger from Kailua side, another base stand out. Some kind of brain aneurism. He was on the grind on the WQS I think.