Close X
Friday, September 27, 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

    Murder Trial In Death Of Tim Bosma Begins With Jury Selection Monday In Hamilton

    Murder Trial In Death Of Tim Bosma Begins With Jury Selection Monday In Hamilton
    About an hour after the sun had set on a day in early May 2013, Tim Bosma took two men for a test drive in his truck — never to return.

    Murder Trial In Death Of Tim Bosma Begins With Jury Selection Monday In Hamilton

    Enbridge Boosting Security After Recent Cases Of Pipeline Sabotage

    Enbridge Boosting Security After Recent Cases Of Pipeline Sabotage
    CALGARY — In a field on the outskirts of Sarnia, Ont., there's a big blue wheel surrounded by a chain-link fence.

    Enbridge Boosting Security After Recent Cases Of Pipeline Sabotage

    The Cash Crunch Of Commitments: Uncosted Spending Vows Lurk For Liberals

    The Cash Crunch Of Commitments: Uncosted Spending Vows Lurk For Liberals
    Morneau must also wrestle another major mathematical threat to Canada's bottom line: uncosted Liberal promises made during and since the election campaign.

    The Cash Crunch Of Commitments: Uncosted Spending Vows Lurk For Liberals

    Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island Digging Out After Intense Winter Blast

    Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island Digging Out After Intense Winter Blast
    HALIFAX — Crews are cleaning up Sunday after an intense winter storm dumped more than 40 centimetres of snow and ice pellets on parts of Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island Digging Out After Intense Winter Blast

    Health Ministers Signal New Relations With Federal Government At Vancouver Talks

     The federal government's election promises are expected to be closely examined by the country's health ministers during an annual meeting that's expected to be more co-operative than in past years.

    Health Ministers Signal New Relations With Federal Government At Vancouver Talks

    Robots To Drones: B.C. Puts Focus On Tech Into Hyperdrive With First-Ever Summit

    Robots To Drones: B.C. Puts Focus On Tech Into Hyperdrive With First-Ever Summit
    VANCOUVER — Greg Caws calls home a cattle ranch in the East Kootenay community of Wardner and says he appreciates the perspective of rural British Columbia, where relatives have worked as miners and loggers.

    Robots To Drones: B.C. Puts Focus On Tech Into Hyperdrive With First-Ever Summit