3 dead after fiery helicopter crash on busy Kailua road
April 29, 2019 at 9:27 AM HST - Updated April 29 at 1:47 PM
KAILUA (HawaiiNewsNow) - Three people were killed Monday when a tour helicopter spun out of control and crashed nose-first on a busy Kailua roadway, bursting into flames.
The crash on Oneawa Street about 9 a.m. produced a shocking scene for drivers and nearby residents, who rushed to the site in the slim hope that someone on board had survived.
Bystanders aimed their garden hoses at the fire to try to put out the blaze, and pulled at least one of the victims from the burning craft.
“Neighbors were doing a heroic effort trying to put out the fire and also trying to get the patients away from the burning aircraft,” said Shayne Enright, spokeswoman for the city Emergency Services Department. She confirmed all three victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Witness Tehani Alo said she saw the helicopter spinning out of control before it came crashing down.
“It sounded like hell landing,” she said.
Another resident described the crash this way: “Horrible.”
According to the FAA, the chopper was a four-seat Robinson R44. It was owned by a helicopter tour company ― Novictor Helicopters, officials confirmed.
It wasn’t immediately clear why the chopper came down. Authorities said it crashed during heavy rains under “unknown circumstances."
Witness Adrian Kozuki, who lives nearby, said he was in his backyard when the crash happened.
“I heard the helicopter in the air and all of a sudden I heard a pop, like a blast kind of thing,” he said. Then, within 15 seconds, he said he could see smoke coming out.
The crash sent debris onto nearby homes, properties and cars. At least one vehicle was significantly damaged when a fuel tank landed on its hood.
Mike Cunningham was driving when he saw the chopper crash about 20 feet in front of him.
He said the helicopter came down “very hard, nose first.”
“I saw the wires shaking, and right after that the wires broke and a helicopter came crashing through the trees,” Cunningham said, adding that as soon as it hit the ground, it was already on fire.
“I don’t see how anybody could’ve walked away from it,” Cunningham said. “It was in flames immediately. And you couldn’t get close to it.”
Lisa Dow lives about two blocks from where the chopper came down, and said she heard the helicopter in the air and then the sound of the crash.
[Read more: In wake of deadly crash, lawmaker calls on authorities to ground tour helicopters]
She said the chopper “pretty much disintegrated” on impact.
“It’s horrible,” she said. “The blessing is that nobody on the ground got hit.”
Added witness Vanessa Solomon: “The saddest part was knowing that there were people falling out of the sky. It was hard to see that."
The noise of the crash shook Ikona Kaapana’s house.
“When it was falling, it wasn’t on fire,” he said. “It was all black and there was no propellers and it was on it’s side when it was falling. We heard it land and it just went up in smoke."
Honolulu police have shut down all lanes of Oneawa Street near Kalolina Street as authorities investigate.
Novictor was involved in a separate helicopter crash in October.
In that incident, a Robinson R-44 crashed just off the Kaneohe sand bar after the pilot reportedly had a medical emergency and passed out. A couple visiting from Chicago was seriously injured in the crash.
The chopper crash is also the second this month.
Earlier in April, a helicopter went down near Sacred Falls after an apparent engine failure.
The Paradise Helicopters aircraft was contracted by the state Land Department, and crashed into trees before hitting the ground.
In that incident, all four people on board the helicopter refused transport to the hospital.
Looks like an R44, photos
here.
