Second Tour Helicopter Crashes in Hawaii

An air-tour helicopter crashed on the Hawaiian island of Kauai March 11, killing one passenger just three days after four people were killed in another air-tour helicopter crash there. Yesterday’s crash involved a Inter-Island Helicopters Hughes 500 that landed at a YMCA on Kauai’s north shore after losing control. The pilot reported mechanical problems midway through the 55-min flight. On March 8, a Eurocopter AS350 operated by Heli-USA crashed on Kauai’s Princeville Airport, killing the pilot and three passengers. That pilot reported a hydraulics failure. The crashes come less than a month after the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board called for closer scrutiny of air-tour operations in Hawaii.  For related news