A helicopter tour over the stunning landscapes of Kauai, Hawaii, ended dramatically but with all lives miraculously spared.
On February 27, 2024, a helicopter operated by Jack Harter Helicopters, a well-known tour operator based out of Lihue, encountered a critical engine failure that caused a crash-land on the remote Honopu Beach.
The MD500E helicopter, carrying four passengers alongside its chief pilot, was mid-flight in the afternoon when it suddenly lost power above the scenic Honopu Beach. Despite the terrifying prospect of crashing, the pilot managed to execute an autorotation maneuver—a technique where the rotor blades are driven by the upward flow of air rather than engine power—to guide the aircraft safely towards the ground.
Kauai County issues the following statement:
One person was injured following a helicopter crash at Honopu Beach on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
On Tuesday, first responders were dispatched to a report of a helicopter crash at Honopu Beach at approximately 1:40 p.m.
Personnel from the Hanalei fire station and Rescue 3 aboard Air 1 responded to the incident.
According to a preliminary report, a Jack Harter helicopter carrying one pilot and four passengers crashed at Honopu Beach, with one passenger suffering a back injury. The three passengers and the pilot did not report any injuries, and were later retrieved by another Jack Harter helicopter. After Air 1 landed, Rescue 3 accessed the injured person and transported the passenger to Princeville Airport to awaiting personnel with American Medical Response.
First responders cleared the scene at approximately 3:40 p.m.
Wild footage captured the heart-stopping moment when the helicopter seemed destined for the ocean before the pilot adeptly swung it around, landing on the sand instead.
The final frames of the video show the helicopter mere moments before touching down on the beach, a testament to the pilot’s expertise and presence of mind.
WATCH:
Absolutely wild footage, this is a real world engine failure in a MD500 (Think Magnum P.I. helicopter) over Kauai, Hawaii out on a tour flight.
You’ll probably have to watch this a few times but the video starts out with the helicopter under power and then the engine sound goes… pic.twitter.com/tFVGhqypzx
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) March 6, 2024
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