The U.S. Coast Guard today released the results of its investigation into the September 4, 2008, loss of an HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point.

All four Coast Guard crewmembers aboard the “Coast Guard 6505” died in the accident.
The helicopter was conducting rescue basket hoist training with a motor lifeboat when the accident occurred approximately five miles south of Honolulu International Airport.
During the fifth hoist evolution at approximately 8:11 p.m., while beginning to recover the basket, the hoist cable went slack due to the motion of the helicopter, according to a Coast Guard press release.
The extra slack in the cable formed a loop that snagged on a protrusion on the boat as it fell in the trough of a wave, according to the Coast Guard.
The quarter-inch cable pulled the helicopter to the right at which point the cable snapped, rolling the aircraft to the left and causing the blades to strike the hoist boom, officials said.
The aircraft transitioned to forward flight and accelerated to about 50 mph while experiencing abnormal vibrations and issuing mayday calls. The aircraft traveled about two miles when it experienced a catastrophic loss of airworthiness and rapidly fell into the Pacific and sank in water about 1,300 feet deep.
The four crewmembers killed were Capt. Thomas Nelson, Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Wischmeier, Petty Officer First Class David Skimin and Petty Officer First Class Joshua Nichols.