Tour company helicopter crashes off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii, killing 3 people

The helicopter was carrying a pilot and four passengers when it crashed Thursday afternoon. near Kalalau Beach, the Kauai Fire Department said. The beach is located on the Na Pali Coast on Kauai’s north shore, an area only accessible by hiking or boating. The area’s towering seaside cliffs and steep ridges can cause air turbulence and rapid weather changes that can be hazardous to aviation.

Kauai Police Chief Rudy Tai said two of the victims were Margaret Rimmler, 65, and Patrick Haskell, 59, both from Massachusetts. Notification of a third relative is pending, he said. He declined to provide details about the survivors’ conditions.

At least 16 people have been killed in helicopter crashes in Hawaii over the past seven years, including two crashes in 2019. A skydiving plane crash in Hawaii that year killed 11 people; investigators blamed the pilot’s aggressive takeoff.

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami said at a news conference Friday that the industry is important to the economy despite the frequent fatal accidents.

“As long as our islands are beautiful and as long as humans are naturally curious, people are going to want to experience that,” he said.

Kauai Fire Chief Michael Gibson said rescue teams arrived in the remote area and found “multiple patients on the beach and shoreline.” Campers on the beach were working to resuscitate victims, he said.

2023, Federal Aviation Administration A new process has been established for air tour operators in Hawaii who want to fly low altitude, including recommendations for pilot training and qualifications and aircraft equipment. The agency said each operator’s security plan will be thoroughly reviewed before issuing authorizations.

Crashes also plague helicopter tour operations Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere in the United States, including a crash in New York’s Hudson River last year that killed the pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists. A few years ago, in 2018, a charter helicopter offering “open door” flights crashed into the East River, killing five people. In 2009, a plane collided with a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River, killing nine people.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash of the Hughes/MD 500 helicopter and will examine the helicopter after it is pulled from the water.

The helicopter was operated by Airborne Aviation, which provides sightseeing tours of Kauai’s canyons, coastline and waterfalls. Airborne is advertised as a “thrill-seeking adventure right outside your door” and can accommodate up to four people.

The company said on Friday it had not had any tours since the accident.

It also conducts search and rescue missions as well as flights for fire response, utility and construction services, the company’s website said.

Airborne said it is cooperating with investigators.

“Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones affected by this devastating event, and we offer our deepest condolences at this extremely difficult time,” Airborne said in a statement.

Helicopter tours are a popular way to explore the cliffs, beaches, and waterfalls of the Na Pali Coast.

In July 2024, a tourist helicopter crashed on Kauai, killing the pilot and two passengers. National Transportation Safety Board investigators found that it broke apart after encountering turbulence in flight, causing the main rotor blades to strike the fuselage.

In April 2019, a tourist helicopter broke up near Honolulu, killing three people; in December, a tourist helicopter crashed in bad weather near the famous Na Pali Coast, killing seven people, including three children. Witnesses and other pilots reported fog, rain and low visibility at the time of the crash, and some pilots had turned around.

Helicopter tour crashes in Hawaii killed 20 people from 2000 to 2010, according to the Kansas City law firm of Robb & Robb, which represents the victims.

“I’ve seen too much in my industry to never recommend to anyone I care about that they take a flight like this,” attorney Andrew Robb said Friday. “But everyone’s risk appetite is different.”