A travel company helicopter crashed off the Hawaiian island of Kauai, police said. One person died and two others were missing. a series of crashes which have troubled the industry in recent times.
A hiker on the Kalalau trail saw the helicopter crash into the water about 0.25 miles off the Na Pali coast on Thursday and called firefighters around 1:40 p.m., Kauai island officials said in an announcement.
The Robinson R44 helicopter belonged to Ali’i Kauai Air Tours & Charters, authorities said.
The company bills itself because the only Hawaiian-owned and operated air tour company on Kauai. Its website states that it has over 30 years of aviation experience and offers private tours by plane or helicopter.
Lifeguards on watercraft on Kauai recovered the body of 1 person from the water on Thursday. The U.S. Coast Guard continued to go looking for the 2 people within the water on Friday.
Their identities weren’t immediately released.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident. Once the plane is recovered, an NTSB investigator will begin documenting the accident scene and examining the plane, the agency said Friday. The plane will then be taken to a secure facility for further investigation.
The Federal Aviation Administration last 12 months established a brand new process for air travel operators in Hawaii, after other fatal accidents had occurred, received approval to fly at lower altitudes.
Tour operators are allowed to fly at 1,500 feet (460 meters) unless they’ve approval to fly lower. The FAA said it should review each operator’s safety plan before granting approval.
The move got here after three fatal accidents in 2019, including one leading to death. one pilot and 6 passengers on the Na Pali Coast. The NTSB attributed the crash to the pilot’s decision to proceed flying despite the bad weather.
Three people died when a Tour helicopter crashed in a suburb of Honoluluand 11 people were killed when their skydiver crashed after takeoff on the north shore of Oahu. Federal investigators attributed the crash to the pilot’s aggressive takeoff.
Another helicopter crashed right into a distant lava field on Big Island during a sunset cruise in June 2022, injuring the six people on board.
Ladd Sanger, a Texas-based aviation attorney and helicopter pilot, was involved in litigation related to airline crashes in Hawaii and flew a helicopter over Kauai.
The recent crash shows that it shouldn’t be advisable to fly single-engine helicopters over Hawaii, even off the rugged coast of Kauai, he said.
“If there is an engine problem on Kauai, it will most likely have dire consequences,” he said. “The island is really rugged and there are so few places where a helicopter can land.”
A Robinson R44 can also be more vulnerable to Hawaii’s continuously changing climate, he said.
“Kauai is beautiful and there is no other way to see the beauty of Kauai than from a helicopter,” he said. “But it has to be the right helicopter.”
There aren’t many Hawaii tour corporations that use twin-engine turbine helicopters because they’re costlier, Sanger says.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the families and friends of those affected,” said David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company, in an announcement. “Safety is our highest priority and we are fully cooperating with all investigating authorities to understand the circumstances of this incident.”
Robinson helicopters, including the R44 model, “have proven themselves in a variety of demanding environments, from the mountainous terrain of Switzerland to the tropical climate of Hawaii,” the corporate said. “Robinson helicopters have been operating safely in Hawaii since the 1980s, with some operators logging up to 16,000 flight hours per year without incident.”
While the federal government is mostly accountable for aviation safety measures, Hawaiian lawmakers have tried to not directly make helicopter tours safer, says Kauai state Rep. Nadine Nakamura, whose district includes the Na Pali Coast.
However, a bill introduced last session to extend aircraft liability insurance didn’t make it to the governor’s desk, she said.
She identified that previous accidents had been attributable to a wide range of reasons, including weather and mechanical problems.
“And that’s something visitors have to weigh up – that there have been accidents in the past,” she said. “People have to weigh up their desire to see remote and exotic places from a pretty stunning vantage point against the risks involved.”
