A tour firm helicopter crashed off the Hawaiian island of Kauai, police mentioned, killing one individual and leaving two lacking within the newest in a collection of crashes to plague the business lately.
A hiker on the Kalalau path reported seeing the helicopter crash into the water a couple of quarter of a mile (0.4 kilometers) off the Na Pali Coast on Thursday and known as the hearth division round 1:40 p.m., Kauai officers mentioned in an announcement.
The Robinson R44 helicopter was a part of Ali’i Kauai Air Excursions & Charters, authorities mentioned.
The corporate payments itself as the one Hawaiian-family-owned and -operated air tour firm on Kauai, and its web site mentioned it has greater than three a long time of flying expertise. It provides personal excursions by aircraft or helicopter.
Kauai lifeguards on private watercraft recovered one individual’s physique from the water Thursday. The U.S. Coast Guard continued looking Friday for the 2 individuals within the water.
Their identities weren’t instantly launched.
The Nationwide Transportation Security Board will examine. As soon as the plane is recovered, an NTSB investigator will start documenting the scene and inspecting the plane, the company mentioned Friday. The plane will then be recovered to a safe facility for additional analysis.
The Federal Aviation Administration final yr established a brand new course of for air tour operators in Hawaii to be authorised to fly at decrease altitudes following different deadly crashes.
Tour operators can fly at 1,500 toes (460 meters) until they’ve authorization to go decrease. The FAA mentioned it could assessment every operator’s security plan earlier than issuing permission.
The transfer got here after three lethal crashes in 2019, together with one which killed a pilot and 6 passengers on the Na Pali Coast. The NTSB blamed the crash on the pilot’s choice to proceed flying in dangerous climate.
Three individuals died when a tour helicopter crashed in a Honolulu suburb, and 11 individuals have been killed when their skydiving aircraft went down after takeoff on Oahu’s North Shore. Federal investigators blamed that crash on the pilot’s aggressive takeoff.
One other helicopter crashed right into a distant Massive Island lava discipline throughout a sundown tour in June 2022, injuring the six individuals on board.
Ladd Sanger, a Texas-based aviation lawyer and helicopter pilot, has dealt with air tour crash litigation in Hawaii and has flown a helicopter over Kauai.
The newest crash reveals it’s not prudent to be flying single-engine helicopters over Hawaii, together with off Kauai’s rugged shoreline, he mentioned.
“If there is an engine problem on Kauai, it is very likely going to be a terrible outcome,” he mentioned. “It is a really rough island and there are so few places to land a helicopter.”
A Robinson R44 can be extra vulnerable to Hawaii’s often-changing climates, he mentioned.
“Kauai is gorgeous, and there is no way to see the beauty of Kauai, but from a helicopter,” he mentioned. “But it needs to be the right helicopter.”
There aren’t many Hawaii tour firms working twin-engine turbine helicopters as a result of they’re costlier, Sanger mentioned.
“Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those affected,” David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Firm, mentioned in an announcement. “Safety is our highest priority, and we are cooperating fully with all investigating authorities to understand the circumstances surrounding this event.”
Robinson helicopters, together with the R44 mannequin, “have a proven track record of safe operation across diverse and challenging environments, from the mountainous terrain of Switzerland to the tropical climate of Hawaii,” the corporate mentioned. “Robinson helicopters have been operating safely in Hawaii since the 1980s, with some operators flying up to 16,000 flight hours a year without incident.”
Whereas the federal authorities usually controls air security measures, Hawaii lawmakers have tried to not directly make helicopter excursions safer, mentioned state Rep. Nadine Nakamura, whose Kauai district contains the Na Pali Coast.
However a invoice final session making an attempt to extend plane legal responsibility insurance coverage didn’t make it to the governor’s desk, she mentioned.
She famous that previous crashes have been because of a wide range of points together with climate and mechanical issues.
“And that’s what visitors have to weigh — that there have been crashes in the past,” she mentioned. “People have to balance their desire to see remote and exotic places from a vantage point that is quite stunning to the risks involved.”
