Search
Make wrtv.com your home page

Hawaii helicopter crash that killed 7 was ‘100% preventable’

FILE — This undated photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the scene where a tour helicopter crashed near the Na Pali Coast on the island of Kauai in Hawaii, in 2019. Federal accident investigators blamed a deadly tour helicopter crash in Hawaii on the pilot's decision to keep flying into worsening weather, but they saved their sharpest criticism for regulators whom they accused of lax oversight of tour flights in the islands. The National Transportation Safety Board determination on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, followed an investigation into the Dec. 2019 helicopter crash that killed all seven people on board. (National Transportation Safety Board via AP, File)
by: WRTV Staff
Posted: / Updated:

Federal investigators are blaming a deadly Hawaii helicopter crash on the pilot’s decision to keep flying into worsening weather.

The 2019 crash killed all seven people on board.

NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday it was 100% preventable.

She says people will be quick to blame the pilot, but that she is more concerned about the actions of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is supposed to regulate tour operators.

“The NTSB previously made 11 recommendations to the FAA to prevent accidents like this one, but our recommendations only work when they are implemented. It’s time for the FAA to act,” Homendy said.

Homendy says there has been minimal oversight of Hawaii’s popular helicopter tours.

The FAA has reportedly started working on regulations for the industry.

.Page-below > .RichTextModule {display:none;} .Page-below .Link {font-size: 12px; padding: 5px 10px;border: 1px solid #005687;border-radius: 4px;font-family: “proxima-nova”, sans-serif; }

Report a typo

WRTV.com Trending Stories