Two pilots have been rescued from the Pacific Ocean after their Boeing 737 cargo plane crashed off Hawaii.
The aircraft was flying from Honolulu to the island of Maui before going down in the water soon after taking off from Daniel K Inouye International Airport.
The US Coast Guard rescued both pilots from the sea early on Friday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
One of them was found clinging to the plane's tail and airlifted to safety.
The Coast Guard said it received a report of a downed inter-island transport plane at around 1:40am local time.
About an hour later, rescuers in a Coast Guard helicopter spotted the debris of Transair Flight 810 and two people in the water.
One person was hoisted into the helicopter and taken to Queen's Medical Centre.
The Honolulu Fire Department rescued the other person, but their identities were not immediately released.
Hospital officials said a 58-year-old was in the intensive care unit in critical condition, according to Hawaii News Now.
A boat brought the other 50-year-old to shore before being transported to the hospital in serious condition with a head injury and multiple lacerations.
According to the state Department of Transportation, the plane debris was found about 6.5 kilometres off Oahu.
The crew knew they were in trouble.
"We've lost number-one engine," one of the pilots told Honolulu air traffic control in a recording posted on LiveATC, an audio streaming site that broadcasts air traffic control communications.
"We are going to need the fire department. We're going to lose the other engine, too. It's running very hot."
The aircraft was built by Boeing in 1975, according to FAA records.
The plane was first delivered to Pacific Western Airlines and joined Transair's fleet in 2014.
This aircraft is not the same as the Boeing 737 Max, which was temporarily grounded by authorities after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.
US regulators cleared the 737 Max to fly again last year.
AP/ABC
