Posted at 11:24 a.m., Wednesday, May 2, 2007
No clues in helicopter crash at celebrity chef's estate
Advertiser Staff
A preliminary report on a helicopter crash-landing at celebrity chef Bev Gannon's Makawao estate on April 20 did not provide any clues to what caused the Eurocopter EC-130 to drop to the ground moments after lifting off.The Sunshine Helicopters aircraft had been hired to take members of a New Jersey corporate group from Gannon's Baldwin Avenue property to Kapalua. The helicopter reached an altitude of less than 100 feet before it stopped climbing, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report released today. The pilot tried to return to the departure point, impacting the ground.
Five of the six people aboard were injured.
The NTSB report said the pilot reported no mechanical problems with the helicopter, which sustained substantial damage, including a crushed nose section, a separated tail boom and twisted rotor blades.
