Remains of 6 people found in wreckage of helicopter crash in Hawaii
One person still missing, though officials say there is no indication anyone survived
The remains of six people have been found after a helicopter heading to one of the most rugged and remote coastlines in Hawaii crashed at the top of a mountain on the island of Kauai, authorities said.
Officials said Friday that there are no indications of survivors and that a search for the last person yet to be recovered would resume in the morning, depending on weather. Those who were recovered have not been identified and their families are being notified, authorities said.
Searchers began looking for the helicopter carrying a pilot and six passengers after it was reported overdue from a tour of Kauai's Na Pali Coast on Thursday evening. Two passengers were believed to be minors, the Coast Guard said.
Steep terrain, low visibility, choppy seas and rain complicated the search, the agency said.
The helicopter company, identified as Safari Helicopters, contacted the Coast Guard about 6 p.m. local time Thursday to say the aircraft was about 30 minutes overdue, authorities said.
According to a preliminary report, the pilot relayed that the tour was leaving the Waimea Canyon area about 4:40 p.m., which was the last contact with helicopter, Kauai police said.
A person who answered the phone at a number listed for Safari Helicopters declined to comment and hung up.
It's such a vast area with so many ins and outs and pockets of vegetation.- Dan Dennison, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
The Eurocopter AS350 lifted off from the town of Lihue, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson Ian Gregor said.
The helicopter had an emergency electronic locator, but no signals were received.
The locator devices are designed to activate when an aircraft crashes, Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Ian Gregor said in an email.
The FAA requires the locators to be able to withstand impact. However, it is possible for the device to stop working in an extreme crash, Gregor said.
He said the agency is looking at the company's safety record, but likely won't have a full report until Monday. It's investigating along with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Towering mountains, deep ravines
The Na Pali Coast, one of the most dramatic and sought-after destinations in Hawaii, was featured in the film Jurassic Park. Towering mountains with deep ravines and huge waterfalls make up the interior of the uninhabited state park. Red rock cliffs with thick jungle canopies rise from the Pacific Ocean to over 1,219 metres.
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources spokesperson Dan Dennison, who has spent years visiting and photographing the area, said winter brings more rain and turbulent seas.
"During the winter, flash floods frequently close the trail out of safety concerns," he said. "It has numerous streams that can rise very fast."
The weather is the primary challenge to any search-and-rescue or recovery operation in the area, Dennison said.
"You can have very low ceilings. You can have fog and cloud banks that move in very quickly. You can have heavy rain" and strong winds that "make flying difficult if not impossible at times," he said.
The shoreline has beaches that could potentially serve as emergency landing zones, but they are "few and far between," Dennison said.
And even the beaches that are there would be a tight spot to land a helicopter.
Finding a safe place to land in the interior wilderness would be much more difficult, Dennison said.
"It's such a vast area with so many ins and outs and pockets of vegetation," he said. "It's just really hard to see from the air through the heavy canopy."