Close X
Monday, September 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canadian Teenager Dies After Pearl Harbor Helicopter Crash

The Canadian Press, 23 Feb, 2016 10:09 AM
    HONOLULU — A 16-year-old passenger died Monday after being injured last week in a Pearl Harbor helicopter crash, hospital officials said.
     
    The teen and three family members visiting from Canada were aboard a tour helicopter when it crashed into the water near the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center on Thursday.
     
    Their names have not been released.
     
    Two family members remain hospitalized in stable condition. Another was treated and released.
     
    "So that the 16-year-old's memory lives on, the family has chosen to donate his organs to patients in need," Gidget Ruscetta, chief operating officer at Pali Momi Medical Center, said in a statement.
     
    No information was available for the pilot, who was taken to another hospital.
     
    Federal agencies are investigating the crash.
     
    The boy was trapped underwater and had to be cut free from his seat, according to witnesses.
     
    Federal records show the helicopter is registered to Jeffrey Gebhard of Kailua, Hawaii. The Navy said the helicopter reportedly belongs to Genesis Aviation. The website for Genesis Helicopters says it was founded by Gebhard and conducts tours over Oahu.
     
     
     
    A call to Gebhard was not answered on Monday. A man who answered at a number listed for him last week declined comment, citing the investigation.
     
    Civilian divers floated the helicopter to the surface Friday and a crane pulled it out. The Navy said the aircraft was taken to Genesis Aviation's hangar at the airport, where the National Transportation Safety Board will conduct an investigation.
     
    It was the second major crash this year involving helicopters on Oahu.
     
    Twelve Hawaii-based Marines were killed when two military helicopters crashed during nighttime training on Jan. 14. Both aircraft were CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters that were part of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463.
     
    Shawn Winrich, visiting from Madison, Wisconsin, was taking photos of Pearl Harbor when he saw the helicopter headed toward the popular tourist destination.
     
    He switched to video, recording the helicopter's dramatic drop into the water.
     
    "All of a sudden it essentially just fell out of the sky and crash-landed in the water," he said last week.
     
    He stopped filming and jumped in to help.
     
    The Honolulu Emergency Services Department took the teen to the hospital in critical condition.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    2 B.C. Beaches Voted Among World's Best

    2 B.C. Beaches Voted Among World's Best
    English Bay ranks 47th because it "comes into its own at dusk" and is a "Mecca for families and volleyball players."

    2 B.C. Beaches Voted Among World's Best

    Canadian Artist And Wife Paint Mural To Raise Awareness Of Garbage Crisis In India

    Canadian Artist And Wife Paint Mural To Raise Awareness Of Garbage Crisis In India
    The painting, completed earlier this week, is the work of You Only Always, a street art duo made up of Canadian artist Pan Trinity Das and his American wife Kyrie Maezumi.  

    Canadian Artist And Wife Paint Mural To Raise Awareness Of Garbage Crisis In India

    Five Suspects In Chilliwack-Based Drug Ring Face 50 Weapons, Trafficking Charges

    Five Suspects In Chilliwack-Based Drug Ring Face 50 Weapons, Trafficking Charges
    VANCOUVER — A drug trafficking investigation that has stretched across British Columbia since 2014 has now produced dozens more charges.

    Five Suspects In Chilliwack-Based Drug Ring Face 50 Weapons, Trafficking Charges

    Watch: Shane Warne Bitten By Junior Anaconda On Reality Show

    Watch: Shane Warne Bitten By Junior Anaconda On Reality Show
    Shane Warne received treatment from medics on the strike area and he has some small marks from the bite.

    Watch: Shane Warne Bitten By Junior Anaconda On Reality Show

    Judge Sends B.C. Man To Jail For 'Flagrantly' Defying Court Orders

    Judge Sends B.C. Man To Jail For 'Flagrantly' Defying Court Orders
    Ralph Goodwin was found in contempt of court in December when a judge said he "flagrantly" defied a 2013 order requiring him to stop giving legal advice and representing himself as a "chancellor of laws" or a "law speaker."

    Judge Sends B.C. Man To Jail For 'Flagrantly' Defying Court Orders

    Vancouver Aquarium Files Copyright Lawsuit Against Documentary Filmmaker Gary Charbonneau

    Gary Charbonneau's documentary "Vancouver Aquarium Uncovered" was posted on YouTube and Vimeo, but he said Vimeo took down the film last week.

    Vancouver Aquarium Files Copyright Lawsuit Against Documentary Filmmaker Gary Charbonneau