Updated at 7:08 p.m., Thursday, March 8, 2007
Heli USA chief says copter pilot is 'very experienced'
Associated Press
Nigel Turner, chief executive of Las Vegas-based Heli USA, said the downed aircraft, one of six in his Hawai'i fleet, was minutes from its scheduled landing when it crashed, according to the Associated Press."We are in the process of notifying the families of those individuals involved and our sincere condolences goes out at this time," he said. "We are working with authorities to find out exactly what happened."
He said the pilot is "very experienced," but would not confirm if he was among the survivors. Turner defended the safety of his helicopters, which also fly tours in Nevada.
"The company has flown over a million passengers. This is our second accident in a million people," he said, adding that he would not hesitate to put his own family in his helicopters.
