‘Huge’ gust of wind, ‘bang’ preceded fatal helicopter crash off Kaua‘i; underwater search discovers partial wreckage

Witnesses to the fatal July 11 helicopter crash off northern Kaua‘i experienced a “huge” gust of wind followed by a very loud “bang” noise, according to a preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board.

“As their attention was drawn to the source of the loud noise, they saw the helicopter wreckage freefalling [sic] into the ocean in two sections, a main fuselage section, and the tail boom section,” the report states.

The witnesses were hikers resting along the remote Kalalau Trail on Kaua‘i’s rugged Nāpali Coast. Their subsequent phone call to the Kaua‘i Fire Department set off a days-long, multi-agency search and rescue operation that recovered the body of passenger Amy Nichole Ruark Quintua. The bodies of passenger James Quintua and pilot Guy Croydon had not been recovered when the search was suspended July 14.

The family of Croydon has created a GoFundMe page in the wake of his death. Many have shared messages of mourning for all three victims across social media.

The witnesses reported the wreckage of the helicopter – a four-seat Robinson R44 owned by Ali’i Kauai Air Tours & Charters conducting a doors-off, one-hour flight around the island – sank moments after meeting the Pacific Ocean, about one-quarter of a mile offshore.

The helicopter departed from Līhu‘e Airport on the East Side of Kaua‘i at approximately 12:31 p.m. The crash occurred at about 1:05 p.m.

An initial NTSB review indicated a strong pressure gradient on the North Shore of Kaua‘i, which resulted in strong gusting easterly winds. A detailed weather study is pending.

An attorney specializing in aviation accidents has claimed the Robinson R44 helicopter has a questionable safety history, including rotor, engine and controllability issues.

The US Coast Guard conducted an underwater search using side scan sonar technology that covered about a 1,000-square-yard area. Then a more focused search was conducted using Strategic Robotic Systems’ Fusion, a remote operated vehicle. The ROV search located the severed tail boom section of the helicopter in about 77 feet of water, but the main fuselage was not found.

A separate underwater search and recovery effort is pending, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Once the wreckage has been recovered, a detailed wreckage examination will be conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge, a helicopter aerospace engineer and others.