HANAPEPE — A passenger and pilot are still missing after the powered hang glider they were flying in plummeted into the ocean Tuesday morning off of Glass Beach. Officials confirmed the missing pilot is Hanapepe resident 55-year-old James “Jimbo” Gaither,
HANAPEPE — A passenger and pilot are still missing after the powered hang glider they were flying in plummeted into the ocean Tuesday morning off of Glass Beach.
Officials confirmed the missing pilot is Hanapepe resident 55-year-old James “Jimbo” Gaither, owner and flight instructor for Big Sky Kaua‘i. His passenger was reportedly Kim Buergel, 49, of Spokane, Wash.
“We are searching and we’re very hopeful to find the pilot and tourist that were on board,” said Petty Officer Michael De Nyse, a spokesman for the 14th U.S. Coast Guard District. “We don’t have an idea why it went down right now.”
The U.S. Coast Guard was expected to continue the search via helicopter until midnight. The Kaua‘i Fire Department planned to resume its efforts at 7:30 a.m. today after suspending the search when it became too dark to see Tuesday evening.
Divers joined the search late Tuesday afternoon, exploring an area some 200 yards off of the South Shore in the vicinity of Kaua‘i Coffee Company in Kalaheo, a county press release states.
“Vog, overcast skies, and low water visibility have made the search extremely difficult,” KFD Chief Robert Westerman said in a news release.
At the Port Allen Cemetery east of Glass Beach, an employee of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said rescuers had found “only debris” that afternoon.
Later at Burns Field near Salt Pond, a group of people in a trailer emblazoned with the words “Big Sky Kaua‘i” demurred from commenting.
The search began after a kayaker reported seeing an ultralight plane go down at about 11:41 a.m., approximately 200 yards from McBryde Point, near Port Allen.
Lifeguards from Po‘ipu went to the area and confirmed what appeared to be wreckage and an oil slick in the water, while firefighters from the Hanapepe station rushed to the area with a boat and Jet Skis. The county’s new helicopter, Air-1, also assisted.
De Nyse said Coast Guard rescuers arrived at the scene within 30 minutes of the report with a 31-foot-response boat carrying four personnel from Station Kaua‘i. Air crews aboard an HC-130 Hercules search plane and HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, launched from O‘ahu and arrived on scene at noon.
He added that in addition to firefighters and other rescuers, Good Samaritans were using their own pleasure craft to help in the search. He said they might be friends and family of the missing pair.
Big Sky Kaua‘i
The company offers hands-on lessons with flight instructors in powered hang gliders often known as trikes. According to Big Sky’s website, the company describes the trike as “the simplest and possibly the safest aircraft ever built.”
Gaither, according to the website, began flying hang gliders in the late 1970s, and now has more than 31 years experience and more than 1,200 logged hours. He has lived on Kaua‘i since August 2007.
“It’s tragic. He’s a good guy and an expert pilot. But, something went wrong and we’re not sure what it is,” said Gerry Charlebois, the owner and an instructor of Birds in Paradise Flight School.
Charlebois, who flies similar aircraft, said he learned Gaither was missing after someone from a search and rescue team called to see if he could account for all his employees.
He went on to say that he doubted that the trike malfunctioned. He did speculate, however, that its engine may have.
“I know Jim is an excellent pilot; he would not have been flying unsafely,” Charlebois said. “But, if you’re flying at low altitudes and your engine quits over the water, you’re gonna splash.”
The “microlight” XT-912 that Gaither was reportedly flying is manufactured by AirBorne Australia, according to Kaua‘i resident Brian Howell. The aircraft sells for about $60,000 new.
The Coast Guard is concentrating search efforts in the area around the plane’s last reported position. The pilot and passenger were reported to be wearing personal floatation devices and carrying a transponder. The Coast Guard intends to search until midnight and then resume at first light. No sign of the missing pilot or passenger have been reported, according to a Coast Guard news release issued around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“We are in close coordination with local, state and federal rescuers,” said Lt. Blair Sweigart, response command duty officer.
The Coast Guard urges anyone with information to call Sector Honolulu at 808-842-2600.
