3 killed in tour company helicopter crash off coast of Hawaiian island of Kauai

HONOLULU, March 28, (AP): A sightseeing company's helicopter crashed near a remote beach off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai, killing three people and injuring two others, authorities said. It was the latest in a series of fatal crashes that has plagued the industry for decades. The helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers when it crashed Thursday afternoon just off Kalalau Beach, the Kauai Fire Department said.

The beach is on the Na Pali Coast on Kauai's North Shore, an area that is otherwise reachable only by hiking or boat. The area's geography of tall seaside cliffs and sharp mountain ridges can contribute to turbulent air and quick weather changes that pose hazards for aviation. Kauai Police Chief Rudy Tai said two of the people who died were Margaret Rimmler, 65, and Patrick Haskell, 59, both of Massachusetts.

Notification of next of kin is pending for the third, he said. He declined to provide details on survivors' conditions. At least 16 people have died in helicopter crashes in Hawaii in 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.

Despite the frequency of fatal crashes, the industry is important to the economy, Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami said at a news conference Friday. "As long as our island is beautiful, and mankind is born with curiosity, people are going to want to experience this," he said. Rescue teams arrived to the remote location to find "multiple patients across the beach and shoreline,” said Kauai Fire Chief Michael Gibson.

Campers on the beach were trying to resuscitate victims, he said. In 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration set up a new process for air tour operators in Hawaii wanting to fly at lower altitudes, including recommendations for pilot training and qualifications, as well as aircraft equipment. The agency said it would thoroughly review each operator's safety plan before issuing an authorization.

Crashes have also plagued helicopter tour operations in other parts of the US, including a crash last year on the Hudson River in New York that killed the pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists. Years earlier, five died in 2018 when a charter helicopter offering "open door” flights went down into the East River. And in 2009, collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson killed nine people.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash of the Hughes/MD 500 helicopter and will examine it once it's removed from the water. The helicopter was operated by Airborne Aviation, which does sightseeing tours of Kauai's canyons, shoreline and waterfalls. Airborne advertises a "doors-off thrill seekers adventure tour” that seats up to four people. There have been no tours since the crash, the company said Friday.