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NEWS: Kauai helicopter crash

spleen93

By spleen93,
in Hawaii

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EbayCruiser

EbayCruiser

Posted
Posted

My daughter and I took a helicopter tour back in the 80's when we visited Hawaii - it was wonderful but there were times that it was "kinda" scarey. Got back home and saw a TV show on 20/20 or 48 hrs. about helicopter tours in Hawaii and they said crashes happen fairly regularly and there was no regulations (at that time) for pilots and most were not even licensed. Made me think ??? No more helicopter or small plane rides for me!!

 

Right after we booked our cruise to Alaska - I was watching "Cops" late one night and they were in Alaska. I had never seen a cops show from Alaska. One of the rescues was a recovery of bodies from a crashed plane that had taken off from Seward carrying four cruise ship passengers. Took them 2 weeks to recover the bodies. Decided right then and there to stay on the ground when in Alaska.

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bankofdad

bankofdad

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Wow, I really feel bad for the families. Seams like aircraft accidents are almost never anything but bad.:(

 

I've never flown on a helo in Hawaii, but I have flown on them extensively (I used to repair helicopter electrical systems for a living). I've been on some pretty scary rides myself (try developing an engine fuel problem while flying over a Norwegian Fjord in the middle of January), but for the most part, helicopter travel is still very safe when you look at the ratio of incidents as compared to flights.

 

I don't know much about Bali Hai and their safety record (it could have been perfect for all I know), but just like with any activity like this, you should always consider the safety record when booking a helo tour operator anywhere in the world, and not just book because one operator is a few dollars cheaper.

 

Unfortunately, accidents do happen, even to the best. We're booked on Jack Harter during our visit, and they had a fatal crash a few years ago as well. But overall, they've been one of the best over the years. Just like with a fixed wing airline, I wouldn't not fly American, United or Delta because they had past accidents.

 

I hope this incident doesn't freak people out in a way that casues them not to take a helo tour on Kauai (my wife had that knee jerk reaction). From what I've read, this is one of the top activities in the islands. I really look forward to our tour!

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wrldtrvlr52

wrldtrvlr52

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I can't decide whether to tell my Mom about this one. She is so excited about our planned tour with Air Kauai. I am not inclined to cancel because of this, but I don't know what her reaction would be. Anyone in Honolulu area, do you know a good florist to call to have flowers delivered to our stateroom? Thanks!

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Kittycat

Kittycat

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When anything like this happens it's so tragic, and it must be dreadful for the families. We're booked on Jack Harter for our trip and I do't think it will put us off doing it, but although he has a good safety record it could still happen. I was encouraged when I contacted him about them videoing the trip, he said that they had a video for sale, but preferred the pilots to concentrate on the flying rather than filming the trip, which has to be a good sign.

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spleen93

spleen93

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I think it just goes to show that you just can't tell some times. Having said that, after making an educated decision about which company to go with (check safety records and the like as others have mentioned), I would definitely still go - there's only one way to see certain things in Hawaii (Kauai) and sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. Given the number of flights that take place in Kauai on a daily basis, the accident rate is still relatively low ...

 

wrldtrvlr52 - there are florists that I like in Hawaii (Flowers by jr. Lou's is one of my favorites)

 

Flowers By Jr Lou & T 1x1.gif

2652 S King St

808-941-2022 1x1.gif

Honolulu, HI

 

One thing to remember though is that there are state department of agriculture restrictions on plants/flowers - you may want to check with the florist if there's going to be a problem in terms of delivering flowers to your stateroom.

 

Spleen

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Vmalcolm

Vmalcolm

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A few years ago we took a helicopter tour in Alaska to a glacier. A little over a week later we heard that the same tour with the same pilot (a really nice young guy named Nigel Cook from New Zealand) crashed on the same glacier killing himself and the passengers. I am glad I went, but it sure scared me out of ever going again.

 

Valerie

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hawaiideb

hawaiideb

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We flew on Air Kauai September of 2002. We did a lot of checking on safety records. We also felt really comfortable after meeting our pilot. As a matter of fact, once we got in the air, he tailed another helicopter for a while, saying she was fairly new, and some of the veterans were keeping an eye on her. He was a former military pilot, and we were very impressed. I wished I could remember his name. I do know it wasn't the owner, but an older fellow, maybe in his late 50's. I do know one of the reasons we picked Air Kauai was that they actually padded 15-20 minutes in between their flights, and shut down the engines. I had observed so many companines off-loading people and then putting new folks on without even shutting off the rotor blades. I felt that shutting down the engine was very important. Maybe it is a minor thing, but it gave me peace of mind.

 

Overall, I would say going on a tour now is actually one of the safer times. Usually after a crash, everyone is a little more aware of safety. I wouldn't let this deter me from going again.

 

Debbie

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CINDYSUE

CINDYSUE

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I have always heard how wonderful these rides were especially on the Na Pali and Volcano National Park. But I remembered the class clown that I was in school with from first grade to high school graduation. What a screw-up. Guess what he does for a living? Right, a helicopter pilot. I figured if he could get a license, I would never fly in a helicopter!!!!!

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spleen93

spleen93

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What's the easiest way to check on an individual helicopter company's safety record? I've been to www.ntsb.gov and don't find it easy to do a search for that. I'm going to Hawaii in March and definitely planning a helicopter tour in Kauai. Thanks!

Not sure if there's a website you can look at. I've done it before by looking at the NTSB website and doing a search by location (plug in HAWAII for state and helicopter for type of accident) and see what companies were involved.

 

Spleen

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Sammy

Sammy

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My son flies Apaches. I sent him the links on the 2 different crashes and posed some of the questions we all have. His slant could be interesting and maybe helpful. Maybe he'll have time to write. Never know what the Army has in store for him. Heck, even the Army doesn't often seem to know!

 

Sammy

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jkrislc

jkrislc

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Wow, I really feel bad for the families. Seams like aircraft accidents are almost never anything but bad.:(

 

You're right, bankofdad. Fortunately, we did have a "successful" crash here in California this week. A plan stalled, but it had a parachute that allowed the small, fixed-wing plane to land safely on the ground with no injuries for the pilot or his passenger/wife. Unfortunately, I don't think parachutes would work for helicopters.

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