Photo: US Coast Guard
A tourist helicopter operated by Airborne Aviation crashed into the ocean near Kalalau Beach on the Hawaiian island of Kauai on Thursday (March 27), killing three people and injuring two others.
According to the Kauaʻi Police Department (KPD), dispatchers received a text-to-911 message at approximately 3:45 p.m. local time reporting that a helicopter had gone down near Kalalau Beach, a remote stretch of shoreline along Kauai's rugged Na Pali Coast. The beach is accessible only by hiking the Kalalau Trail or by boat.
The helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers when it crash-landed on a sandbar roughly 100 yards offshore. The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the aircraft went down off the Na Pali Coast. Three people were killed, and two survivors were rescued by good Samaritans and Kauai Fire Department crews before being transported to Wilcox Medical Center for treatment.
Airborne Aviation, which offers sightseeing tours of Kauai's canyons, shoreline, and waterfalls, advertises a "doors-off thrill seekers adventure tour" that seats up to four passengers. Authorities learned of the crash from hikers on the Kalalau Trail who witnessed the helicopter careen into the water and called police.
Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including the Kauaʻi Fire Department, the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, American Medical Response, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Commander Andrew Williams, search and rescue mission coordinator for Coast Guard Sector Honolulu, expressed condolences in a statement. "We are greatly saddened by the loss of three lives in this helicopter crash and thinking of those individuals' families and friends," Williams said. "We are also keeping the survivors in our thoughts as they begin their recovery. We remain grateful for close coordination with our partner agencies throughout this tragic incident."
Derek Kawakami, the mayor of Kauai, praised first responders for their swift action and thanked the coordinated efforts of federal and local agencies. In an interview with Hawaii News Now, Kawakami said, "Those folks responded very quickly and I want to thank all our first responders. This is still very much an active response and as active responses evolve the information will evolve as well."
The mayor added, "Here on Kauai, whenever somebody puts their feet on our soil, they're one of ours, we treat them like one of ours, they're a part of our family, and our first responders respond with that spirit in mind."
The cause of Thursday's crash has not yet been determined. An investigation is ongoing, and authorities say additional information will be released as the active response continues.