Military chopper hits line, lands with all safe

A Marine Corps helicopter struck a power line and made an emergency landing on the North Shore on Tuesday night. There were no injuries to the flight crew or civilians.

The UH-1Y, assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367, was flying in an authorized training area when it struck the line around 7:45 p.m., according to Capt. Tim Irish, spokesman for Marine Corps Base Hawaii. The aircraft was conducting a scheduled flight in the area.

The Honolulu Police Department said officers responded to Comsat Road, which is mauka of Sunset Beach, to assist with traffic management. Irish said the helicopter is still on site but he does not know if or when it will be moved. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

According to Hawaiian Electric Co., there was a report of damage to a line but there were no power outages.

Joanna Perez said she and her family heard sirens and saw at least six emergency vehicles drive up Comsat Road around 9:30 to 10 p.m. Perez, who is staying with her son at his Comsat Road house, said when her family left around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, police were blocking access to Comsat Road. She said residents had to provide officers with their addresses to get in.

“They had so many (emergency vehicles) that at one point they were waiting down here,” Perez said. “We were like, ‘What’s going on?’”