As a Navy aircraft accident investigator, I see how lessons learned from accidents develop into new emergency procedures or structural changes to aircraft so as not to allow a similar accident in the future.

This explains why air travel, military or civilian, is so safe. We in the aviation community learn from our mistakes and immediately correct any flaws in maintenance, emergency procedures, or aircraft design.

What Hawaiian Electric failed to do over years is just the opposite. Despite the extreme loss of life from California’s Camp Fire in 2018, HECO ignored the lessons learned from that tragedy. It failed to clear trees near power lines and cut power during high-wind conditions amid high-risk areas.

Additionally, despite 2022 guidance to reinforce Maui’s electrical poles and to insulate electrical wires, it failed to do so. CEO Shelee Kimura and former CEO Connie Lau bear the responsibility for the tragedy.

Peter J. Douglass

Waialae-Kahala

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