Close X
Sunday, September 29, 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

    Body Of Missing Camper Found In Golden Ears Provincial Park Near Maple Ridge, B.C.

    Body Of Missing Camper Found In Golden Ears Provincial Park Near Maple Ridge, B.C.
    A 39-year-old man went missing in Golden Ears Provincial Park around 2:30 a.m. on New Year's Day after telling friends he was going to set off fireworks.

    Body Of Missing Camper Found In Golden Ears Provincial Park Near Maple Ridge, B.C.

    Winnipeg Man Tried To Kill Woman By Deliberately Crashing Passenger Side Of Car: Police

    Winnipeg Man Tried To Kill Woman By Deliberately Crashing Passenger Side Of Car: Police
    Police say the couple were arguing outside a nightclub at about 2 a.m. on New Year's Day when the 31-year-old man allegedly forced the 21-year-old woman into a car and drove off.

    Winnipeg Man Tried To Kill Woman By Deliberately Crashing Passenger Side Of Car: Police

    'Entering A World That Is Going To Be Constrained:' Alberta Environment Minister

    'Entering A World That Is Going To Be Constrained:' Alberta Environment Minister
    The province's NDP government has arguably made bigger moves on global warming in six months than the previous Conservatives made in a generation. And the changes aren't going to stop.

    'Entering A World That Is Going To Be Constrained:' Alberta Environment Minister

    One Winning Ticket For $23.8-million Jackpot In Saturday's Lotto 6-49 Draw

    The ticket was sold somewhere in Quebec.

    One Winning Ticket For $23.8-million Jackpot In Saturday's Lotto 6-49 Draw

    Canadian Fighter Jets In The Middle East Kept Busy At The Start Of 2016

    Canadian Fighter Jets In The Middle East Kept Busy At The Start Of 2016
    The Canadian Forces says two CF-18 Hornets took to the skies on New Year's Day to attack ISIL fighting positions in Ramadi in support of Iraqi security forces.

    Canadian Fighter Jets In The Middle East Kept Busy At The Start Of 2016

    Climate Change Affecting Vital Winter Roads For First Nations: Leaders

    Climate Change Affecting Vital Winter Roads For First Nations: Leaders
    Isadore Day, the Ontario regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations, said the reliability of the northern winter road network is in jeopardy in his province.

    Climate Change Affecting Vital Winter Roads For First Nations: Leaders