Close X
Friday, October 4, 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

    Mosque In Peterborough, Ont., Deliberately Set On Fire: Police

    Mosque In Peterborough, Ont., Deliberately Set On Fire: Police
    Police say they don't know the motive, and they don't have a suspect. They couldn't say whether the fire was connected to the attacks in Paris that the Islamic State is taking credit for.

    Mosque In Peterborough, Ont., Deliberately Set On Fire: Police

    Justin Trudeau Faces Fiery Foreign Policy Debut As Paris Attacks Focus G20 On Security

    Justin Trudeau Faces Fiery Foreign Policy Debut As Paris Attacks Focus G20 On Security
    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's unexpected baptism of fire in international statesmanship began Saturday when he arrived at the G20 summit in Turkey, less than a day after the deadly Paris attacks.

    Justin Trudeau Faces Fiery Foreign Policy Debut As Paris Attacks Focus G20 On Security

    Feds, Junior League, Tribes Fight Sex Traffickers In SD: 'Catching Awful Lot Of Them'

    Feds, Junior League, Tribes Fight Sex Traffickers In SD: 'Catching Awful Lot Of Them'
    It was an anonymous two-story house with an outdoor side staircase, nothing that looked ominous to Kevin Koliner when he passed by going to and from work

    Feds, Junior League, Tribes Fight Sex Traffickers In SD: 'Catching Awful Lot Of Them'

    The New Brunswick Government Has Formed A Committee To Handle Incoming Refugees

    The New Brunswick government has formed a committee aimed at facilitating a smooth transition of the Syrian refugees to the province.

    The New Brunswick Government Has Formed A Committee To Handle Incoming Refugees

    Government Says Assisted-Death Panel Won't Give Advice For Legislation

    Government Says Assisted-Death Panel Won't Give Advice For Legislation
    A federal panel created in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on assisted death will no longer be asked to make recommendations to the government and will now simply report on its consultations on the issue.

    Government Says Assisted-Death Panel Won't Give Advice For Legislation

    Speed A Factor In Crash That Killed 68-Year-Old Man On Oak Street: Vancouver Police

    Speed A Factor In Crash That Killed 68-Year-Old Man On Oak Street: Vancouver Police
    Vancouver police say speed is likely a factor in a crash that killed one man and sent another to hospital on Saturday.

    Speed A Factor In Crash That Killed 68-Year-Old Man On Oak Street: Vancouver Police