Past Kauai helicopter crashes, per National Transportation Safety Board reports:
• On Jan. 17, 2016, an Airbus EC130 T2, N11VQ, landed hard on a beach two miles west of Hanalei after a reported loss of engine power. The commercial pilot and two passengers sustained minor injuries, and four passengers were seriously injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom and airframe. The helicopter was registered to Nevada Helicopter Leasing LLC, operated by Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, and was conducting an air tour flight at the time of the accident.
• On Sept. 24, 2004, a Bell 206B helicopter, operated by Bali Hai Helicopter Tours, Inc., conducting an air tour flight on the island of Kauai, encountered adverse weather conditions and crashed into mountainous terrain. The pilot and all four passengers were killed in the crash.
In a 2007, the NTSB determined that the probable cause of the crash was “the pilot’s decision to continue flight into an area of turbulent, reduced visibility weather conditions, which resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of control of the helicopter.”
“Experienced local pilots interviewed for the investigation noted that helicopter operations on Kauai can be challenging due to the terrain, mountain winds, and rapidly changing cloud conditions,” the NTSB report said.
• On June 25, 1998, a Eurocopter, AS-350-BA, N594BK, operated by Ohana Helicopter Tours, collided with steep, upsloping mountainous terrain near Mt. Waialeale. The helicopter was destroyed, and the commercial pilot and the five passengers were fatally injured. The flight originated from Lihue Airport.
• On July 14, 1994, an Aerospatiale AS-350D AStar helicopter sustained a total loss of power near Hanalei. The pilot reported he lost engine power. He then autorotated to the Pacific Ocean near a rocky shoreline and successfully evacuated the helicopter along with six passengers. However, he and two passengers drowned attempting to reach shore. The helicopter sank in 25 feet of water approximately 15 feet from shore. Surviving passengers said there was no engine noise during descent and landing.
• On Dec. 13, 1967, there was a fatal accident in Hanalei. David Poleri, 40, an American operatic tenor, was killed in a helicopter crash along with his wife, while on a honeymoon on Kauai. According to the NTSB’s investigation, the accident helicopter, a Bell model 47J2A, N8501F, experienced fatigue failure in the tail rotor blade, which resulted in an inflight structural separation.
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Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
