Kauaʻi Ocean Safety Bureau members and good Samaritans assist individuals following a helicopter crash Thursday afternoon, March 26, at Kalalau Beach in northwest Kauaʻi. (Courtesy Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Station Kauaʻi)
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect a statement received from Airborne Aviation.
Three people have died, and two others are injured after a helicopter crashed into the ocean off a remote section of the Nāpali Coast on Thursday afternoon, the Kauaʻi Police Department reported at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
The U.S. Coast Guard said shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday it received a report from Kauaʻi Police Dispatch personnel about a white helicopter — later reported to be a Hughes OH-6 Cayuse operated by Airborne Aviation — that crash-landed on a sandbar 100 yards off Kalalau Beach.
On Thursday evening at Princeville Airport, a Kauaʻi Now reporter witnessed two deceased individuals being removed from an air rescue unit in black body bags.
The two injured people aboard the helicopter were transported to Wilcox Medical Center in Līhuʻe. The helicopter had one pilot and four passengers aboard at the time of the crash, police said.
The five people aboard were airlifted from the remote Kalalau Beach by the Kauaʻi Fire Department, police said. The Coast Guard said Good Samaritans helped.
“Our hearts are with the families and loved ones affected by this devastating event, and we extend our deepest condolences during this incredibly difficult time,” Airborne Aviation said in a statement Friday.
The helicopter company went on to state they are cooperating with the authorities, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, as they conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident.
Airborne Aviation will provide updates as they become available.
A tour helicopter operated by Airborne Aviation crashed just offshore of Kauaʻi’s remote Kalalua Beach on March 26, 2026. Screenshot of Ryan Heringer video
Video on social media shows the crashed helicopter in the water just off the remote beach, which has about 10 beachgoers. Waves are crashing over the downed helicopter.
The video also shows on the beach three helicopters: at least one was an air rescue helicopter and one appeared to be another tour helicopter.
According to the company’s website, Airborne Aviation offers a doors-off thrill-seeker adventure tour with seating for up to four, with no middle rear seat for optimal viewing and photography. The company website said it operates a Hughes 500 on Kauaʻi, which takes customers to see the island’s shoreline, waterfalls, and canyons.
A police lieutenant at the scene said he could not comment, saying all media requests had to go through the department’s public information officer.
A Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and Kauaʻi Ocean Safety Bureau boat crew traverse the shoreline near Kalalau Beach on Thursday, March 26, after the report of a helicopter with five people aboard crash on a sandbar about 100 yards out from the shoreline. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Station Kauai)
Kauaʻi police cordon off the scene Thursday, March 26, 2026, at Princeville Airport following a deadly ocean crash at the remote Kalalau Beach on Nā Pali Coast in northwest Kauaʻi. (Photo Credit: Xiomara Yamileth/Kauaʻi Now)
Two other fatal helicopter crashes have occurred on Kauaʻi since 2019.
On Dec. 26, 2019, seven people were killed after a helicopter operated by Safari Aviation crashed into a mountain ridge when the 69-year-old pilot lost visibility in poor weather.
On July 11, 2024, a helicopter operated by Aliʻl Air Tours broke up along the Nāpali Coast killing three people, including the pilot. The U.S. Coast Guard located the wreckage in about 77 feet of water.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigation said in its final report: “It is likely that the helicopter encountered turbulence due to downdrafts, which resulted in mast bumping and a subsequent in-flight breakup.”
Kauaʻi Police Dispatch received a text-to-911 message at about 3:45 p.m. about the crash.
Multiple agencies continued to respond to the crash by 7:30 p.m. Thursday. An area at Princeville Airport also was cordoned off with yellow police tape as the investigation continues.
Personnel and resources from Kauaʻi Fire Department, Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, American Medical Response, Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources and Kauaʻi Police Department are actively involved in the response.
“We are greatly saddened by the loss of three lives in this helicopter crash and thinking of those individuals’ families and friends,” said U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Cmdr. Andrew Williams in a Coast Guard release shortly after midnight Friday, March 27. “We are also keeping the survivors in our thoughts as they begin their recovery.”
Coast Guard watchstanders directed the launch of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point on Oʻahu, a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Kauaʻi and the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry.
No further information was available at the time of Kauaʻi Police Department’s most recent release. Updates will be provided as they become available.
Kaua‘i Fire Department’s Air 1 helicopter is seen in the background in this photo from late Thursday afternoon, March 26, 2026, at Princeville Airport after a helicopter crash at remote Kalalau Beach on Nā Pali Coast in northwest Kaua‘i. (Photo Credit: Xiomara Yamileth/Kauaʻi Now)
Update at 6:12 p.m. Thursday, March 26, 2026: Five people were injured in a helicopter crash Thursday afternoon, March 26, at remote Kalalau Beach on Nā Pali Coast in northwest Kaua‘i.
Kaua‘i Fire Department says a preliminary report shows an Airborne Aviation helicopter carrying one pilot and four passengers crashed shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday at the beach.
First responders were dispatched shortly after the crash was reported.
Personnel from Hanalei Fire Station, Rescue 3 aboard Air 1, U.S. Coast Guard, Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency, American Medical Response and Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources responded to the crash.
Additional updates will be provided when more information is available.
Story originally posted at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, March 26. 2026: Injuries are being reported following a helicopter crash Thursday, March 26, at the remote Kalalau Beach on Nā Pali Coast in northwest Kaua‘i.
Kaua‘i first responders were dispatched Thursday afternoon to a reported helicopter crash at about 3:45 p.m. at the beach.
Personnel with Kaua‘i Fire Department’s Hanalei Fire Station and Rescue 3 aboard Air 1, U.S. Coast Guard, Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency and Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources responded.
A preliminary report says the helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers when it crashed at Kalalau Beach.
Kaua‘i Fire Department reports updates will be provided when additional information is available.
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