Three of the five passengers aboard were killed.

Glen Lampton was charged with three counts of manslaughter, two counts of reckless endangering and one count each of tampering with evidence and providing a false statement to authorities.

Kaua'i First Deputy Prosecutor Richard Minatoya said he believes this is the first time in Hawai'i that criminal charges have been filed against a pilot who was involved in a fatal accident.

Lampton and two other passengers survived the crash.

Lampton, who lives in Nevada, could not be reached for comment today. His attorney, Sam King Jr., said Lampton will plead not guilty to the charges. King said Lampton continues to work for Heli USA, but not as a pilot.

Lampton was the pilot of a Heli USA helicopter that crashed in the ocean off Ha'ena on Sept. 23. Lampton has told authorities that he ran into trouble after making a sudden turn to avoid an oncoming helicopter. The maneuver forced the helicopter into severe weather, Lampton said, and the aircraft descended rapidly and crashed.

But the two surviving passengers, Karen and Bill Thorson of Beloit, Wis., said in the days following the crash that they did not see an oncoming helicopter and that the only one they remember seeing was far below their helicopter.

Killed in the crash were Laverne Clifton, 68, of Beloit, Wis., and Catherine Baron, 68, and Mary Soucy, 62, both of Portland, Maine. Clifton was Karen Thorson's father.

Lampton, who has not been arrested, is expected to fly to Kaua'i for his Jan. 13 arraignment and post bail, King said. Bail was set at $100,000. If convicted of the most serious charge of manslaughter, Lampton would face a maximum 20 years in prison on each count.