Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • All Woman
  • Career & Education
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Classifieds
  • Design Week
Hawaii tour helicopter crash kills 6, leaves 1 missing
This photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources shows an area overNaPali Coast State Wilderness Park where search and rescue teams are searching for a tour Helicopterthat disappeared in Hawaii with several people aboard on Friday, December 27, 2019. Authorities saythe helicopter's owner called for help about 45 minutes after the chopper was due back from a tour ofKauai's Na Pali Coast on Thursday evening. (Dan Dennison)
News
December 29, 2019

Hawaii tour helicopter crash kills 6, leaves 1 missing

HONOLULU (AP) — The search for the final person missing after a Hawaii tour helicopter crash killed six was expected to resume Saturday depending on weather, officials said.

There are no indications that anybody survived the crash, authorities said Friday night after the remains of six of the people on board were found. Authorities have not named those on board and said families are being notified.

The helicopter was set to tour the rugged and remote Kauai’s Na Pali Coast, which is one of the most dramatic and sought-after destinations in Hawaii and was featured in the film Jurassic Park. The plane crashed at the top of a mountain on the island of Kauai, authorities said.

A search began for the helicopter carrying a pilot and six passengers from two families after it was reported overdue Thursday evening. Two passengers are believed to be minors, the Coast Guard said.

Steep terrain, low visibility, choppy seas and rain had complicated the search, the agency said.

The helicopter company, identified as Safari Helicopters, contacted the Coast Guard about 6:00 pm Thursday to say the aircraft was about 30 minutes overdue, authorities said.

A person who answered the phone at a number listed for Safari Helicopters declined to comment and hung up.

According to a preliminary report, the pilot said the tour was leaving the Waimea Canyon area, known as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” about 4:40 pm, which was the last contact with the helicopter, Kauai police said.

The Eurocopter AS350 has an emergency electronic locator transmitter, but no signals were received. The locator devices are designed to activate when an aircraft crashes, Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA) spokesman Ian Gregor said in an e-mail.

The FAA requires the locators to be able to withstand impact. However, it is possible for the device to stop working in an extreme crash, Gregor said.

He said the agency is looking at the company’s safety record but likely won’t have a full report until Monday. It’s looking into the crash along with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which announced Friday that it was sending three investigators to Kauai.

US Representative Ed Case of Hawaii cited fatal accidents over the years, blaming the FAA for not taking NTSB safety improvement efforts seriously and the industry for not regulating itself. He said “innocent lives are paying the price”.

The FAA said it conducts random and regular surveillance on all Hawaii air tour operators and ensures companies address any issues. Gregor said the agency does not have concerns about the industry statewide.

The NTSB aviation accident database lists nine crashes of Hawaii helicopter sightseeing flights in the last 10 years, including three with fatalities.

After a Hawaii skydiving plane crashed and killed 11 people in June, the NTSB called on the FAA to tighten its regulations governing parachute operations. The FAA said at the time that it had made changes to address NTSB recommendations.

The chopper that crashed this week along a route used by all tour helicopters was found in a mountainous region inland from the Na Pali Coast, which is one of the most dramatic and sought-after destinations in Hawaii and was featured in the film Jurassic Park. Towering mountains with deep ravines and huge waterfalls make up the interior of the uninhabited state park. Red rock cliffs with thick jungle canopies rise from the Pacific Ocean to over 4,000 feet (1,219 metres) high.

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

Five schools seek back-to-back double in rural junior football
Latest News, Sports
Five schools seek back-to-back double in rural junior football
PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com 
January 16, 2026
Five schools will be seeking back-to-back double wins when the ISSA Rural Area junior football competition continues. Cornwall College, Browns Town Hi...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Latest News, News
A&E staff protest conditions at Cornwall Regional Hospital
January 16, 2026
ST JAMES, Jamaica — Staff members attached to the Accident and Emergency Department at the Cornwall Regional Hospital have staged a protest about the ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
PM backs call for a kinder Jamaica
Latest News, News
PM backs call for a kinder Jamaica
January 16, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A call by senior pastor, Reverend Peter Garth, for Jamaicans to temper the crass and vulgar manner in which they criticise each ot...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
China, Canada reach ‘landmark’ deal on tariffs, visas
Latest News
China, Canada reach ‘landmark’ deal on tariffs, visas
January 16, 2026
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on a raft of measures from trade to tourism on Frid...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
St Vincent gov’t to boost surveillance and monitoring of La Soufriere volcano
Latest News, Regional
St Vincent gov’t to boost surveillance and monitoring of La Soufriere volcano
January 16, 2026
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) — The Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines says it will strengthen surveillance and monitoring of the La Soufrière ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Antigua to recruit nurses from Ghana, insists it has not ended programme with Cuba
Latest News, Regional
Antigua to recruit nurses from Ghana, insists it has not ended programme with Cuba
January 16, 2026
ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has agreed to contract over 100 nurses from Ghana, but insisted that it has not forma...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
All-School team off to Florida for CASA Classic
Latest News, Sports
All-School team off to Florida for CASA Classic
January 15, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica —A 20-player Jamaica All-School team left the island on Thursday for the 2026 Caribbean Americas Soccer Association (CASA) Youth Cla...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
MBU edge Tivoli Gardens to reclaim JPL lead
Latest News, Sports
MBU edge Tivoli Gardens to reclaim JPL lead
January 15, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica—Montego Bay United (MBU) are back on top of the points table in the Jamaica Premier League after their 1-0 win over Tivoli Gardens a...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct