Inter-Island Helicopters is a company often called upon by Kaua'i officials to help in search-and-rescue missions.

Yesterday it found itself on the other side of the emergency services ledger when one of its Hughes 500 aircraft went down on the Garden Island's North Shore. One person died and four were injured.

For the Hanapepe-based tour company, one of Kaua'i's oldest, the news was in contrast to the notice it has garnered in its work for the Kaua'i Fire Department, helping fight fires, looking for lost hikers and recovering bodies in other tour companies' crashes. The company's Web site says it has been called on hundreds of times to perform such missions, saving lives in the process.

"Though our island is a relatively safe and beautiful one, occasional mishaps do occur; hikers losing their way and/or injured, kayakers getting caught in high surf and even experienced surfers getting dragged to sea," Inter-Island's Web site says. "When these accidents occur, it's Air 1 to the rescue!"

The company also notes that its rescues extend to animals, as it was called in to help a Clydesdale horse that ended up upside down in a gully.

Inter-Island has operated out of the old Port Allen airport near the salt ponds in Hanapepe since the late 1980s and has a fleet of Hughes 500 aircraft capable of speeds up to 140 mph. The company advertises itself as being able to cover more scenic area and says another key difference between it and other companies is that it flies with its doors off "for the most awesome aerial experience and unequaled photo opportunities."

Some past customers have raved about the open-door flights in postings on the Internet rating site www.Epinions.com, while others have said even though they felt safe strapped into the helicopter, they would take an enclosed flight next time.

The company has had two notable crashes in its work fighting fires, one of which occurred on Christmas Day 2005 and proved fatal for the 20-year old son of company owner Ken D'Attilio. Jonathan D'Attilio was picking up water in a bucket slung under his MD 369 helicopter when it spun violently and plunged into the De Mello Reservoir.

The other crash that occurred helping the Fire Department happened in July 2004, when another of Inter-Island's pilots had to perform an emergency landing at Lihu'e Airport. The report on the incident noted the pilot had been flying for two hours and noticed a power loss just before the main rotor blades came in contact with a tree. The pilot walked away uninjured after the helicopter rolled onto its side.

Ken D'Attilio also has been in on several notable rescue and recovery operations, including a 1998 flight that helped pull out victims of an Ohana Helicopters crash that killed five people and a pilot on the south face of Wai'ale'ale Crater.

The company also made headlines in 1994 when one of its tours crashed near a scenic Hanapepe Valley waterfall. A woman died and four were injured when the Hughes 500 lost power at about 150 feet. The hard landing on a rocky riverbed crushed the bottom of the aircraft. A final National Transportation Safety Board report on the crash has yet to be issued, though a preliminary finding showed some problems with fuel control and fuel nozzle filters.

Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.