NTSB: Galiher may have been disoriented in bad weather before copter crash
COURTESY PHOTOS
Gary Galiher and Keiko Kuroki
Witnesses who saw a helicopter before it crashed on Molokai told federal accident investigators it looked like the pilot was lost during dark and rainy conditions.
Well-known Honolulu personal injury attorney Gary Galiher was flying his helicopter from Honolulu to a helipad at his east Molokai home Nov. 15.
Rescuers found the charred wreckage the next day on a remote mountain-slope. Galiher and his passenger, real estate agent Keiko Kuroki, were killed.
A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report released Wednesday says residents near the crash site reported seeing the helicopter flying low and slow.
The report says there was low visibility with heavy rain showers at the time.
The report says the pilot was experienced and often departed from his hangar at Honolulu Airport in the evenings after work.
25 responses to “NTSB: Galiher may have been disoriented in bad weather before copter crash”
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SA has to rely on AP for local news?
The AP has a local office.
Left Oahu too late.
So you think the death of people is a joke? SA should have bans, and you should be the 1st.
I’m just saying, wait until the NTSB comes out with the report. It could have meant the difference between focusing on flying a helicopter or focusing on other things. Go ahead and blast me, but maybe direct the drama towards the pilot that should have been responsible for his passenger.
“I’m just saying, wait until the NTSB comes out with the report.”
What you said is in black and white at the top of this string — and that ain’t it.
Grow up!
What an idiotic comment. Show a little compassion and class if you have any.
Classless comment.
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So . . . pilot error? It’s easy to make money suing people, and yet when a lawyer causes someone’s death, what? We’re supposed to not criticize? Apparently, the Star-Advertiser now deletes posts if we criticize someone who was responsible for a fatal accident, so I expect this post to be sent to moderation and eventually deleted.
If your post is deleted just be glad that it’ll go the way of your other ill-informed comments.
they should delete your entire presence…
cruel speculation. They both are humanbeings we will miss for their community service. God be with their souls.
It’s a Trump America now and classless comments are now the norm. Get over yourselves.
Don’t worry allie, there will be plenty of lawyers to pick up the lawsuits where he left off.
I’ve been in helicopters in bad weather with the stall-warning going off and it’s frightening to say the least. I would never try to second-guess and experienced pilot and I’m sorry for this tragedy.
What is important is for the NTSB to find exactly what went wrong, wherever that leads, so that future helicopter pilots can learn from it. Doesn’t matter how much “experience” a pilot has, if they become lost and disoriented and cannot find their landing zone, what is the proper procedure when this occurs? I don’t know but would be helpful for local media to interview a top Hawaii helicopter instructor pilot familiar with the Hawaiian islands and ask for his/her opinion. Seems every once or every other year this type of small plane or helicopter crash occurs, some due to mechanical problems but also due to limited visibility resulting in spatial disorientation.
He was such an amazing person and will be sorely missed. A shining light for many people.
NO Class ALL a$$
I think you’re in a better position to report on the flavor of the street rather than any rumor on it.
The helicopter doesn’t care what time it is….it can fly day or night. But the PILOT….visions of the Jon Jon Kennedy flight all over again….
“The report says there was low visibility with heavy rain showers at the time.”…..it’s no wonder he was unable to determine where he was plus at night with reduced visibility both factors a recipe for disaster and tragedy ……
Disoriented, no question about it. Disoriented by the beautiful lady sitting next to him in the cock pit.
Good Lord, Ronin, these two senior citizens weren’t cruising down Lover’s Lane on a Saturday night. It was nightfall on a rainy night, in a small helicopter. I’m pretty sure the only joystick the pilot was concerned about was the metal control stick on the floor. You sound like a 14yo, thinking with your small head.
They should have gotten a hotel room on Oahu.