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

    Marco Muzzo Pleads Guilty In Ont. Crash That Killed Three Kids And Grandfather; Gets Bail

    Marco Muzzo Pleads Guilty In Ont. Crash That Killed Three Kids And Grandfather; Gets Bail
    Marco Muzzo, 29, pleaded guilty in a Newmarket, Ont., court on Thursday to four counts of impaired driving causing death and two of impaired driving causing bodily harm related to the Sept. 27 crash.

    Marco Muzzo Pleads Guilty In Ont. Crash That Killed Three Kids And Grandfather; Gets Bail

    Protest Held After Decorated War Veteran Kicked Out Of Winnipeg Shopping Mall

    Protest Held After Decorated War Veteran Kicked Out Of Winnipeg Shopping Mall
    Joseph Meconse said he and a friend sat down to tea in the mall's food court on Saturday when a security guard approached him and told him he had half an hour before he would have to leave.

    Protest Held After Decorated War Veteran Kicked Out Of Winnipeg Shopping Mall

    Nanaimo, B.C., Contractor Praised For Anti-Theft Devices To Protect His Tools

    Nanaimo, B.C., Contractor Praised For Anti-Theft Devices To Protect His Tools
    RCMP say they were called to a construction site near Westwood Lake on Nanaimo's west side, early Wednesday morning.

    Nanaimo, B.C., Contractor Praised For Anti-Theft Devices To Protect His Tools

    Police North Of Montreal Sound Alarm After Third Teenage Girl Reported Missing

    Police North Of Montreal Sound Alarm After Third Teenage Girl Reported Missing
    Laval police say Mathilde Geoffroy Aube, 16, has not been seen since Monday.

    Police North Of Montreal Sound Alarm After Third Teenage Girl Reported Missing

    Montreal-Area Hockey Player Andrew Zaccardo Awarded $8 Million After Being Paralyzed

    Montreal-Area Hockey Player Andrew Zaccardo Awarded $8 Million After Being Paralyzed
    One of Andrew Zaccardo's lawyers said the amount handed down in a judge's ruling this week might be a record in such a case in any sport.

    Montreal-Area Hockey Player Andrew Zaccardo Awarded $8 Million After Being Paralyzed

    Ontario Offers $100 Million For Upgrades To Natural Gas Furnaces, Water Heaters

    Ontario Offers $100 Million For Upgrades To Natural Gas Furnaces, Water Heaters
    Environment and Climate Change Minister Glen Murray says 37,000 customers of Enbridge Gas and Union Gas will be able to have home energy audits to identify energy-saving options.

    Ontario Offers $100 Million For Upgrades To Natural Gas Furnaces, Water Heaters