Bodies recovered from Kaua'i copter crash

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser KauaÎi Bureau

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A rescue crew today was able to recover four of five bodies at the site of yesterday's helicopter crash after the clouds on Wai'ale'ale lifted this morning. Three bodies were recovered this morning and a fourth about 4 p.m.

One victim's body was left at the crash scene overnight. Firefighters planned to fly in about 6 a.m. tomorrow, in hopes of clear weather before predicted clouds and heavy winds arrive.

Yesterday, the bodies were flown to a secure area at Lihu'e Airport for identification about 10:30 a.m. Emergency crews expected to be able to recover the remaining bodies today if the crash area remains clear. No identifications of the passengers will be released until after their remains have been positively identified, said Cyndi Ozaki, county public information officer.

The Jack Harter Helicopters pilot was identified as Mark Lundgren, 44, of Puhi, who leaves a wife and three grown children. Lundgren is a retired U.S. Navy lieutenant commander whose last posting was at the Pacific Missile Range Facility. He was described as a veteran pilot who knew the island well.

Heavy cloud cover and steep mountain terrain require fire rescue personnel to be dropped to the crash site on ropes. They were unable to recover any of the victims yesterday. Early morning clouds were low on the mountain, obscuring the 4,500-foot elevation crash site, but by mid-morning a crew was dropped to the site to begin preparing the victims' bodies for retrieval.

An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board was expected on the island late this afternoon to begin a probe into the cause of the crash. A Federal Aviation Adminstration official arrived yesterday.

The Bell 206B Jet Ranger helicopter was on a standard one-hour tour of the island. Most such tours travel clockwise around Kaua'i, skirting the mountains, crossing Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast, and returning by way of Wai'ale'ale crater. The tour left Lihu'e Airport's helipad about 8 a.m. Radio contact was lost about 9 a.m.

The first fire department rescue officers at the site found one woman severely injured, but conscious and able to speak. But clouds covered the scene, making it impossible to bring her out. She died about 3 p.m.