The search for the last person missing after a helicopter crash in Hawaii killed six people is expected to resume this Saturday, depending on weather conditions.
There is no evidence that anyone survived the accident, authorities said Friday evening after the remains of six of the people on board were discovered. Two passengers are said to be minors.
The helicopter was to circle the rugged and remote coastline of Na Pali in Kauai, which is one of Hawaii’s most spectacular and sought-after destinations and was featured in the film “Jurassic Park”. The aircraft crashed atop a mountain on Kauai Island.
A search began for the helicopter carrying a pilot and six passengers from two families after it was reported missing Thursday evening. Steep terrain, poor visibility, rough seas and rains made the search difficult.
The helicopter company, known as Safari Helicopters, contacted the Coast Guard around 6 p.m. Thursday to say the plane was about 30 minutes late, authorities said.
The pilot said the tour left the Waimea Canyon area, known as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” at around 4:40 p.m., which was the last contact with the helicopter, police said. from Kauai.
The Eurocopter AS350 (now called Airbus H125) has an emergency electronic location transmitter, but no signal has been received. The locators are designed to activate when an aircraft crashes, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said in an email.
The FAA requires locators to be able to withstand the impact. However, the device may stop working in an extreme accident, said Gregor.
He said the agency is looking into the company’s safety case, but will likely not have a full report until Monday. He is investigating the accident with the National Transportation Safety Board, which announced Friday that it is sending three investigators to Kauai.
The NTSB aviation accident database lists nine tourist helicopter flight accidents in Hawaii in the past 10 years, including three with fatalities.
The helicopter that crashed this week along a route used by all tour helicopters was found in a mountainous region inland from the coast of Na Pali, which is one of Hawaii’s most spectacular and sought after destinations and was featured in the film “Jurassic Park. Imposing mountains with deep ravines and huge waterfalls make up the interior of the uninhabited state park. Red rock cliffs with thick covers of the jungle rise from the Pacific Ocean over 1,000 metres.
