The air-tour company whose small plane crashed in a Moloka'i field Sunday night, injuring five people, did not have the required flight certification, the Federal Aviation Administration said yesterday.

The Tora Flight Adventure Club twin-engine Partenavia was carrying five people when it crashed about 8:30 p.m. in an open field in Kaluako'i, Moloka'i police said.

On board were the male pilot and four Japanese tourists — two men and two women, said acting Maui police Lt. Jamie Becraft. All were stabilized and taken to Moloka'i General Hospital.

One person was in critical condition, one in serious condition and three in good condition, he said. Two of the crash victims were taken to The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, Becraft said.

FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said the company does not have the proper paperwork. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating.

"The company does not hold a Part 135 Certificate," Fergus said, adding that the certification is necessary to operate an air-tour business.

A woman who answered the telephone at Tora Flight Adventure Club offices in Honolulu yesterday said she had no information about the crash. The company's owner did not return a phone call.

Moloka'i police said the plane took off from Panda Ranch on Moloka'i's west end and was headed for Honolulu when it banked right and crashed near a private airfield, Moloka'i police said. The accident was reported by the pilot about 8:30 p.m.

The seven-seat plane, built in 1983, has no previous record of incidents or crashes listed on the NTSB Web site.

The pilot was able to walk to a nearby home to report the accident, Becraft said. The pilot met with fire and police officials and directed them to the crash site, where they found the four passengers lying in brush near the airplane, he said.

The cause of the crash was not known, Becraft said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.