An “unforeseen mechanical issue” plagued an Oahu tour company’s Bell 206B helicopter in the days before it crashed into Pearl Harbor Thursday morning, according to an email that Genesis Helicopters sent to a customer.

Just Salvesen, a 22-year-old Hawaii Pacific University student from Norway, had booked a flight on Genesis Helicopters for himself and his friend for Tuesday.

Before the flight, Salvesen received an email from Genesis Helicopters on Feb. 13 that said the helicopter would not be ready until Thursday, the same morning that the Bell 206B slammed into about 10 feet of water near the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, injuring the pilot and a family of four from Canada.

“We regret to have to inform you that we have to reschedule (if your schedule permits) your upcoming tour with us due to an unforeseen mechanical issue that had presented itself just recently with our helicopter,” according to the email that Salvesen provided to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “We’re doing everything we can right now to get the issue resolved as soon as its possible but we don’t foresee the helicopter to be back up and flying again until the morning of the 18th at the earliest.”

No one answered the phone at Genesis Helicopters again on Saturday and the company’s owner has not responded to emails.

The most seriously injured occupant was a 15-year-old boy, who remained in critical condition at Pali Momi Medical Center on Saturday.

The crippled helicopter was pulled out of Pearl Harbor Friday, the same day an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board arrived on Oahu.

He is expected to issue a preliminary report within 10 days, according to the NTSB. The cause of the crash will not be determined for another year to 18 months, the NTSB said.

Salvesen, a sophomore business major at HPU, had ridden on helicopters in Norway and wanted to book an island tour with his female friend, who was visiting from Norway.

After getting the email, Salveson rescheduled his original Tuesday flight for Friday.

“I figured it would be a safe company to go with,” Salvesen said of Genesis Helicopters. “But the helicopter crashes right after they said they would fix the problem. Now I’m not too sure anymore.”

Salvesen did not hear about the crash until Friday, when his mother called from Norway “and said a helicopter had crashed in Hawaii because it was on the news in Norway,” he said. “I Googled it and figured out it was the company I was supposed to go with. I was thinking I was lucky.”

He said his friend “is happy” not to have been on the helicopter, “and my mom is happy, too.”