Passenger took controls of copter after pilot passed out, says NTSB report on Kaneohe crash

A 57-year-old tour helicopter pilot lost consciousness during a scenic tour of Oahu, prompting one of the passengers to grab the aircraft’s controls to slow the descent before it crashed at the Kaneohe Bay sandbar last month, according to a preliminary report.

The National Transportation Safety Board released the report Tuesday on the crash that occurred about 5:10 p.m. on Oct. 22. The final report is expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete, said spokesman Keith Holloway.

The pilot was operating a Robinson R44 helicopter for Novictor Aviation on a planned 45-minute tour of the island for a newly engaged couple from Joliet, Illinois.

The report said the pilot “felt himself lose consciousness” about 20 minutes into the flight. He soon regained consciousness and control of the helicopter.

The pilot changed course, turned the chopper toward the coast and prepared for a precautionary landing when he again lost consciousness seconds later. He recalled waking up to first responders tending to him.

“The pilot remembers being in a dream-like state during his loss of consciousness, and in the dream-like state, he was piloting the helicopter and knew that he was in an emergency situation,” the report says.

The passengers told investigators that the pilot slumped over during the flight and the front-seat passenger grabbed the controls to slow the descent.

The helicopter crashed at the sandbar in about 2 feet of water and came to rest on its side, sustaining substantial damage to its main rotor, skids and tailboom.

Nicole Vandelaar, owner and chief pilot of Novictor, had told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser the pilot suffered a medical condition in flight.

The preliminary report said the pilot began working for Novictor Aviation in May and had not experienced any medical problems prior to crash at Kaneohe Bay.

According to a recent Chicago Tribune story, Carli McConaughy, 35, grabbed the controls of the helicopter to slow the descent after the pilot slumped over and the aircraft nose-dived. Her fiance, Adam Barnett, 31, who was also on the air tour, pulled McConaughy and the pilot out of the chopper after the crash.

The three were taken to Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition and later upgraded to stable condition.

The Chicago Tribune reported that McConaughy suffered fractures to one foot, a laceration to the other foot, and a compression fracture in her back. Barnett sustained a broken arm and wrist injury.