A tragic incident occurred off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i on Thursday when a tourist helicopter associated with Ali‘i Kaua‘i Air Tours and Charters crashed, leaving one person dead and two others missing. The crash took place about a quarter mile offshore along the Na Pali Coast, as reported by the County of Kaua’i government Facebook page. Hikers on the Kalalau Trail witnessed the helicopter going down and alerted Kaua’i Police Dispatch around 1:20 p.m. local time.
The authorities recovered one body from the ocean around 2:25 p.m., but two individuals are still missing as of the latest update at 6:10 p.m. The identities of the passengers on board have not been disclosed. While local search efforts were halted at sundown for the safety of first responders, the U.S. Coast Guard continued the search into the evening. Local search operations are set to resume at first light on Friday.
Kaua’i Police Chief Todd Raybuck expressed his condolences to the families impacted by the tragedy, emphasizing that the search and recovery efforts will involve multiple agencies. The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed a temporary flight restriction in the search area to facilitate ongoing operations. Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami and Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke also extended their sympathies to the loved ones of the victims and praised the efforts of all agencies involved in the response.
The cause of the helicopter crash remains unknown, prompting an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Participating agencies in the search and recovery operations include the U.S. Coast Guard, Kaua’i Fire Department personnel, Kaua’i Emergency Management Agency, Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency, Ocean Safety Bureau personnel, and Kaua’i police. The community is urged to keep the families of those affected in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.