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

    B.C. Murderer Waives Parole Hearing For 1982 Slayings Of Six People

    B.C. Murderer Waives Parole Hearing For 1982 Slayings Of Six People
    David Ennis, who has changed his name from David Shearing since the August 1982 murders, was due for a parole hearing in August.

    B.C. Murderer Waives Parole Hearing For 1982 Slayings Of Six People

    U.S. No-fly List May Have Tripped Up Canadian Youngsters, Minister Ralph Goodale Says

    U.S. No-fly List May Have Tripped Up Canadian Youngsters, Minister Ralph Goodale Says
    The U.S. no-fly list, not Canada's secret air-security roster, might be what has been ensnaring Canadian youngsters, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale is telling several families experiencing travel headaches.

    U.S. No-fly List May Have Tripped Up Canadian Youngsters, Minister Ralph Goodale Says

    Shopify CEO Calls On Federal Government To Abandon Tax Plan For Stock Options

    The CEO of one of Canada's up-and-coming tech companies is calling on the federal government to abandon its plan to tax stock options, saying the move will hurt innovation and hamper startup firms.

    Shopify CEO Calls On Federal Government To Abandon Tax Plan For Stock Options

    Ontario Bill Would Allow First Responders With PTSD Quicker Treatment

    Ontario Bill Would Allow First Responders With PTSD Quicker Treatment
    The law would create a presumption that PTSD in first responders is work related, removing the need for them to prove a causal link to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

    Ontario Bill Would Allow First Responders With PTSD Quicker Treatment

    Pope Francis Suggests Contraception Can Be Condoned In Zika Crisis

    Pope Francis Suggests Contraception Can Be Condoned In Zika Crisis
    Pope Francis has suggested that women threatened with the Zika virus could use artificial contraception, saying there's a clear moral difference between aborting a fetus and preventing a pregnancy.

    Pope Francis Suggests Contraception Can Be Condoned In Zika Crisis

    CRTC Denies Appeal To Force Big Telcos To Give Access To Their Wireless Networks

    CRTC Denies Appeal To Force Big Telcos To Give Access To Their Wireless Networks
    Canada's broadcast regulator has denied an appeal by small Internet providers to require major telecommunications companies to provide access to their wireless networks.

    CRTC Denies Appeal To Force Big Telcos To Give Access To Their Wireless Networks