Helicopter crash-lands in Kea'au
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
A tour helicopter with five people on board crash-landed in a Kea'au field on the Big Island yesterday afternoon.
Gladys Suzuki • Special to The Advertiser
Four passengers and the pilot escaped from the helicopter before it burst into flames and was destroyed, Puna police said. One man suffered minor injuries but refused treatment, police said.
Adam Jardine of Kea'au was working in a nearby field when a helicopter crashed and burned yesterday. The helicopter's four passengers and the pilot survived without serious injury.
The helicopter belonged to Tropical Helicopters and took off from the Hilo airport for a tour of the Kalapana area and to view the lava flows, police said. At about 2:25 p.m., the pilot reported hearing an irregular noise from the engine and saw smoke coming out.
She was forced to land the Bell 206 helicopter in a field near the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut farm, police said. The pilot and her two female and two male passengers were able to walk away from the crippled helicopter before it caught fire.
When firefighters the Kea'au station arrived at the crash scene, they found the helicopter in flames.
Damage to the helicopter was estimated at $250,000. The cause of the crash was under investigation.
Tropical Helicopter owner Cal Dorn could not be reached for comment yesterday. The company is based in Hilo and also offers tours from the Kona airport.
Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8025.
