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

    Teen In Philadelphia Questioned Over Threats Aimed At Vancouver Airport

    Teen In Philadelphia Questioned Over Threats Aimed At Vancouver Airport
    RCMP said on Monday they had received a threat via the social media platform Twitter, although the incident didn't impact operations at the airport.

    Teen In Philadelphia Questioned Over Threats Aimed At Vancouver Airport

    Osoyoos, B.C. Woman Acquitted Of Assaulting RCMP Officer

    Osoyoos, B.C. Woman Acquitted Of Assaulting RCMP Officer
    The trial heard that Fiona Galt Munro, 34, was pulled over after driving away from a pub in Osoyoos, B.C., around 2 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2013.

    Osoyoos, B.C. Woman Acquitted Of Assaulting RCMP Officer

    2015 The Year Streaming 'Went Mainstream,' Viewers Hope For More Options In '16

    2015 The Year Streaming 'Went Mainstream,' Viewers Hope For More Options In '16
    TORONTO — Whenever Anushie Mahavitane gets a chance to watch TV, the busy working mom has a choice to make: Will it be live, on-demand or streamed?

    2015 The Year Streaming 'Went Mainstream,' Viewers Hope For More Options In '16

    Pressure-Cooker Emergency Crises Get High-Tech Solution From Vancouver Startup

    Pressure-Cooker Emergency Crises Get High-Tech Solution From Vancouver Startup
    The CommandWear Systems' platform has been piloted and used by several police and paramedics agencies across Canada since the company was launched in June 2013.

    Pressure-Cooker Emergency Crises Get High-Tech Solution From Vancouver Startup

    California Mother Takes Fight To Federal Court To Have Brain-Dead Daughter Declared Alive

    California Mother Takes Fight To Federal Court To Have Brain-Dead Daughter Declared Alive
    Lawyers for the mother of 13-year-old Jahi McMath filed a lawsuit in San Francisco federal court asking that the girl be declared alive after state courts have refused to rescind the teen's death certificate.

    California Mother Takes Fight To Federal Court To Have Brain-Dead Daughter Declared Alive

    Fentanyl Blamed In One Death And Two Overdoses In Owen Sound, Ontario

    OWEN SOUND, Ont. — Police say fentanyl is the cause of three recent overdoses in Owen Sound, Ont., that caused the death of one person and the hospitalization of two others.

    Fentanyl Blamed In One Death And Two Overdoses In Owen Sound, Ontario