Two of three people killed in a helicopter crash off Kalalau Beach were identified while Airborne Aviation said it has suspended tour operations indefinitely.

LIHUE (HawaiiNewsNow) – Kauai officials on Friday identified two of the three people killed in Thursday’s tour helicopter crash off a remote Kauai coastline.

Two others were hospitalized after the helicopter crashed into the ocean off Kalalau Beach, a popular destination for hikers along the Kalalau Trail.

During a multi-agency briefing, Kauai police said dispatch received a text-to-911 report at about 3:45 p.m. Thursday that a helicopter had crashed into the water near the remote North Shore beach.

Victims identified

Police identified two of the victims as Margaret Rimmler, 65, and Patrick Haskell, 59, both from Massachusetts.

A third victim is a 40-year-old woman, but her name is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification, police said.

The two survivors were taken to Wilcox Medical Center, where they remain under medical care, officials said. Police said the survivors’ identities are not being released.

“We respect the rights of our two survivors right now, so we’re concentrating on their recovery,” said Kauai Police Chief Rudy Tai.

Officials said the helicopter was a McDonnell Douglas MD 500 carrying one pilot and four passengers.

Remote rescue; one person trapped

Kauai Fire Chief Michael Gibson said crews were notified around 3:45 p.m. and quickly realized the response would be complex.

“These are the types of incidents that our personnel train for: the complex, high-risk operations in remote locations,” Gibson said. “But there is no amount of training that lessens the emotional weight of something like this.”

Gibson said bystanders and surviving passengers began CPR and provided care before responders arrived.

He said rescuers spent significant time freeing one person who remained trapped in the helicopter.

“That took well over an hour from the time of our initial arrival because the primary efforts were placed on those that were already on the beach,” he explained. “I know that by the time they had extricated that final person from the helicopter, the weather conditions were very rough.”

Officials estimated up to 10 people were in the area.

“There were campers on the beach. From what we’re told, there were up to 10 people that were on the beach,” Gibson said.

Authorities also said other tour operators assisted.

“The helicopter companies help each other out,” Gibson said.

Gibson said Jack Harter Helicopters flew by and helped verify who was in the water — “They reported that they saw somebody doing CPR on one of the patients that were on the beach” — and that Airborne Aviation and Blue Hawaiian each landed helicopters on the beach to provide additional manpower.

The U.S. Coast Guard, agency partners and good Samaritans responded to a helicopter crash off Kalalau Beach on Kauai Thursday.(U.S. Coast Guard Station Kauai)

Timeline and scene

Kauai fire officials said their first personnel to arrive were ocean safety officers on the North Shore jet ski team responding from the Hanalei area.

They said the last communications check-in from crews was around 4:10 p.m., with Air One on the ground by 4:21 p.m.

Officials described conditions during the response as “spotty.”

“It was off and on — the rain, the wind, and as well as the surf,” Gibson said. “We have some communication weakness when we go that far north toward Keʻe (Beach).”

The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources said personnel were on scene Friday to keep the beach area clear for recovery operations.

“I have three men on the beach right now keeping it safe so that a helicopter can land in there without anybody getting hurt or anything else happening,” said Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement Assistant Chief Christopher Gandeza.

“And I have two guys in the water on a ski patrolling the outside that nobody can come in while they take the wreckage out,” Gandeza said.

Officials said the Kalalau Trail remained open to a certain point.

Airborne Aviation on Kauai(Hawaii News Now)

Tour operations suspended with investigation underway

Airborne Aviation expressed condolences and said the company will cooperate with federal investigators.

“It hits all of us to our core when something like this happens, all of us in the industry,” said Doug Froning, Airborne Aviation’s director of operations.

“Right now, we have suspended all operations for an indefinite period of time until we’re certain we can continue safely,” he said.

Froning noted that one helicopter departed Friday morning to help transport members of a conservation agency “out of the mountains,” and all other efforts have “been in support of this accident and investigation and aircraft recovery.

He said the company will also “do all we can” to help the victims and their families.

“We got into it because we love flying. Just a pure love for aviation, seeing a beautiful state like Hawaii from the air. And we treat everyone that comes onboard our aircraft like family,” he said.

When asked about possible causes, Froning replied, “The investigation is just getting started, so anything we’d say up here would just be guessing.”

What’s next

Froning said work took place Friday to remove the aircraft from the water, and noted that FAA and NTSB investigators were expected to arrive Friday night or early Saturday.

Officials said additional details are being limited to protect privacy and the integrity of the investigation.

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami thanked first responders for operating in a “remote and challenging” area and asked the public to keep the victims’ families and responders in their thoughts.

“Kalalau Beach is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, but it is also one of the most remote,” Kawakami said.

Asked whether the county should reevaluate tourism flight paths, Kawakami said that decision is not a county call.

“That is out of our wheelhouse,” he said. “That’s an FAA decision.”