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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 9:42 a.m., Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Safety board calls for tougher Hawai'i air-tour rules

By Dennis Camire
Advertiser Washington Bureau

In its review of two deadly tourist helicopter crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board said today that air-tour operators in Hawai'i should get more training, change some of their practices, and make choppers safer.

The board also called for tougher regulation of the operators by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The board's recommendations grew out of its investigation into two air-tour crashes on Kaua'i — one on Sept. 23, 2005, when three people died and two survived and one on Sept. 24, 2004, which killed all five aboard.

In the 2005 crash, the board found that the probable cause of the accident was the pilot's decision to fly into bad weather conditions, where a sudden, violent downdraft of air caused him to lose control and crash into the ocean.

The board also found that the probable cause of the 2004 crash was the pilot's decision to continue the helicopter's flight into turbulent weather, causing him to lose control and crash.

In the recommendation to the FAA, the board called for developing a required pilot training program for Hawai'i air-tour pilots that stresses the hazardous weather patterns in the region.

The board also want the FAA to provide more surveillance of air-tour operators to ensure they are following regulations.

Air-tour operators also would be required to provide pilots with scheduled rest breaks after investigators found some pilots flying long hours on continuous, repetitive, high-frequency tours.

Other recommendations call for equipping helicopters with floats to give the pilot and passengers a better chance at escaping in a water crash and a study of life preservers used in local air-tour operations.