Close X
Tuesday, September 24, 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. Says Economic Growth Keeps Greenhouse Gas Emissions Hovering At Two Per Cent

    B.C. Says Economic Growth Keeps Greenhouse Gas Emissions Hovering At Two Per Cent
    However, the Environment Ministry reports that overall industrial carbon dioxide emissions were up 2.1 per cent between 2013 and 2014.

    B.C. Says Economic Growth Keeps Greenhouse Gas Emissions Hovering At Two Per Cent

    Defence, Crown Debate Reliability Of Testimony From Dead Witness In Murder Case

    Defence, Crown Debate Reliability Of Testimony From Dead Witness In Murder Case
    Sheryl Ann Flynn's videotaped account of a frightening conversation she had with Thomas Ted Barrett in 2006 was ruled admissible Thursday in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court trial of the 40-year-old Cape Breton man.

    Defence, Crown Debate Reliability Of Testimony From Dead Witness In Murder Case

    Amish Give Up On Pricey Ontario, Head For New Life On Prince Edward Island Farms

    Amish Give Up On Pricey Ontario, Head For New Life On Prince Edward Island Farms
    According to realtor Brad Oliver, it has simply gotten too expensive in Ontario for the Amish communities to expand, and young people to own their own farms.

    Amish Give Up On Pricey Ontario, Head For New Life On Prince Edward Island Farms

    Heavy Snow In B.C.'s Southern Mountain Passes May Hamper Family Day Plans

    Heavy Snow In B.C.'s Southern Mountain Passes May Hamper Family Day Plans
    Safety Minister Mike Morris urges everyone to drive safely as snowfall warnings are posted for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt and on Highway 3 through the Kootenay Pass.

    Heavy Snow In B.C.'s Southern Mountain Passes May Hamper Family Day Plans

    'Men Who Were In Zika Areas Should Use Condoms'

    'Men Who Were In Zika Areas Should Use Condoms'
    The guidance also said the men might consider abstaining or using condoms even during sex with a woman who isn't pregnant.

    'Men Who Were In Zika Areas Should Use Condoms'

    Alberta Health Services Victim Of Second Laptop Theft In Two Years

    Alberta Health Services Victim Of Second Laptop Theft In Two Years
    Investigators say it appears one person took the computers during an apparent break-in at a department call centre in a west-side plaza on Jan. 25.

    Alberta Health Services Victim Of Second Laptop Theft In Two Years