Close X
Sunday, September 22, 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

    Avalanche Near Golden, BC - Calgary Man Dead, Winnipegger Injured

    The incident came a day after Avalanche Canada issued an avalanche warning as potentially deadly snow conditions develop on slopes across parts of eastern and southeastern BC

    Avalanche Near Golden, BC - Calgary Man Dead, Winnipegger Injured

    B.C. Man's Revenge Website Reveals Flaws In Criminal Harassment Law: Experts

    B.C. Man's Revenge Website Reveals Flaws In Criminal Harassment Law: Experts
    The British Columbia Crown's decision not to charge a man who created a revenge website to destroy his ex-wife's reputation reveals the limits of criminal harassment law in the digital age

    B.C. Man's Revenge Website Reveals Flaws In Criminal Harassment Law: Experts

    Ontario Has First Case Of Zika Virus In Person Who Travelled To South America

    Ontario Has First Case Of Zika Virus In Person Who Travelled To South America
    Public Health Ontario announced Friday that it had received positive test results Tuesday, but wouldn't say if the person is a man or woman

    Ontario Has First Case Of Zika Virus In Person Who Travelled To South America

    Last Two Stanley Cup Rioters Sentenced To Time Behind Bars For Assault

    Last Two Stanley Cup Rioters Sentenced To Time Behind Bars For Assault
    Both William Fisher and Jeffrey Milne were found guilty on a series of charges including aggravated assault, taking part in a riot, and break and enter.

    Last Two Stanley Cup Rioters Sentenced To Time Behind Bars For Assault

    Authorities Say 4 People Killed In Horrific Wrong-Way Crash In Texas Were From Kitchener, Ont.

    Authorities Say 4 People Killed In Horrific Wrong-Way Crash In Texas Were From Kitchener, Ont.
    KYLE, Texas — Authorities say four people who died in a collision in Texas early Friday morning appear to be from Kitchener, Ont.

    Authorities Say 4 People Killed In Horrific Wrong-Way Crash In Texas Were From Kitchener, Ont.

    Fugitive High-Risk Sex Offender Who Escaped Canada Convicted Of Raping Seattle Woman

    Fugitive High-Risk Sex Offender Who Escaped Canada Convicted Of Raping Seattle Woman
    Michael Stanley, 49, triggered a manhunt across Saskatchewan and Alberta when he cut off his ankle bracelet in Lloydminster on the boundary of the two provinces and made a run for the U.S. border where he managed to cross unchallenged

    Fugitive High-Risk Sex Offender Who Escaped Canada Convicted Of Raping Seattle Woman