Close X
Monday, September 30, 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

    At Least 2 Canadians In Hospital After Driver Hits Pedestrians In Las Vegas

    At Least 2 Canadians In Hospital After Driver Hits Pedestrians In Las Vegas
    A hospital spokeswoman says two Canadians are among five people in either critical or serious condition after a woman intentionally drove her car into pedestrians on a sidewalk outside a Las Vegas casino.

    At Least 2 Canadians In Hospital After Driver Hits Pedestrians In Las Vegas

    Ontario Mom Disappointed At Reactions To Her Breastfeeding On Santa's Lap

    Ontario Mom Disappointed At Reactions To Her Breastfeeding On Santa's Lap
    Rebecca Dunbar says she had the picture taken mostly as a joke, but decided to post it in a bid to increase acceptance of the practice of nursing in public.

    Ontario Mom Disappointed At Reactions To Her Breastfeeding On Santa's Lap

    Dashing To The Store, Poll Suggests Most Canadians Haven't Done Holiday Shopping

    Dashing To The Store, Poll Suggests Most Canadians Haven't Done Holiday Shopping
    A poll suggests most Canadians will be spending some time over the next few days elbowing their way through crowded stores to buy that last holiday gift

    Dashing To The Store, Poll Suggests Most Canadians Haven't Done Holiday Shopping

    Missing Cheetah In B.C.'s Interior Still On The Lam, Calgary Zoo Offers To Help

    Missing Cheetah In B.C.'s Interior Still On The Lam, Calgary Zoo Offers To Help
    As of Sunday evening, conservation officers were still urging people to phone in any sightings of the big cat.

    Missing Cheetah In B.C.'s Interior Still On The Lam, Calgary Zoo Offers To Help

    Police Investigating Death Of 33-Year-Old Pitt Meadows Man Found In Parked Car

    Police Investigating Death Of 33-Year-Old Pitt Meadows Man Found In Parked Car
    Police say a 33-year-old man from Pitt Meadows was found dead in a vehicle early Saturday morning.

    Police Investigating Death Of 33-Year-Old Pitt Meadows Man Found In Parked Car

    Fatal Hit-And-Run In Langley, B.C., Collision Specialists Called In To Analyze

    Fatal Hit-And-Run In Langley, B.C., Collision Specialists Called In To Analyze
    Police responded around 2:30 a.m. (to the 2900 block of 200th Street) to find a 44-year-old pedestrian had died.

    Fatal Hit-And-Run In Langley, B.C., Collision Specialists Called In To Analyze