A search and rescue operation was suspended on the Hawaiian island of Kauai after a sightseeing helicopter crashed Thursday in the water along the island's famed Napali Coast.
A helicopter with Ali'i Kauai Air Tours and Charters was involved, according to a report from the Kauai Police Department. It said it received the report of the incident at about 1:20 p.m. Thursday; hikers along the Kalalau Trail witnessed the crash into the water and reported the incident, police said.
The helicopter crashed in waters about a quarter-mile offshore, fronting the Hanakoa Valley on the Napali Coast, police said.
According to a joint statement from Kauai County and the U.S. Coast Guard issued
July 14, the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate the cause of the crash.
The search was suspended at 2 p.m. Sunday, the statement said. Missing are the
pilot, Guy Croydon, and one passenger, James Quintua. The other
passenger, Amy Nichole Ruark Quintua, was recovered unresponsive by
Kauai Ocean Safety Bureau lifeguards.
Several agencies responded to the incident, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Kauai Fire Department, representatives from island and state Emergency Management Agency, personnel with the Ocean Safety Bureau and the police department.
Rescue crews searched for about 60 hours, covering more than 830 square miles, Kauai and the Coast Guard said.
Kauai has been the site of several helicopter crashes over the years. In 2019, a crash near Kekaha that killed seven prompted new calls for stricter rules on helicopter and small-aircraft operations; that year, more than 20 people were killed in crashes throughout the Islands.