Hawaii crash: Irishman among five dead as skydiving tour plane crashes on island of Kauai

Damien Jimmy Horan from Tullamore is believed to have been piloting the aircraft when it crashed

Damien Jimmy Horan from Tullamore in central Ireland was piloting the small plane which went down in Kauai, Hawaii (Facebook)

An Irishman is among five people killed after the skydiving tour plane they were in crashed and caught fire in Hawaii.

The pilot was named locally as Damien Jimmy Horan, from Tullamore, Co Offaly in central Ireland.

The incident happened on Monday morning on the island of Kauai.

Mr Horan, two skydive instructors and two tandem jumpers were believed to be onboard the small plane when it crashed. The two jumpers are believed to have been brothers visiting from Oklahoma.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene and a fifth died later in hospital, according to reports.

Local county councillor in Offally, Thomas McKeigue, said Mr Horan’s family were well known in the area as a “friendly, hard-working and a very decent family”.

He told the Irish Times: "It's very tragic when a young person dies like this. "He was known as a very genuine, easy-going and talented young man."

The plane was a single-engine Cessna 182H, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is also working with officials to determine the cause of the incident.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs said it was providing consular assistance to the family.