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FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said a Hughes 369E helicopter crashed or made a hard landing under unknown circumstances in the Waipio Valley area, near Lookout Road, this morning.
A 39-year-old pilot was injured but able to walk away from a helicopter crash in Waipio Valley this morning, authorities said.
The pilot of a Hughes 369E helicopter operated by K& S Helicopters, doing business as Paradise Helicopters, was taken to North Hawaii Community Hospital in serious condition after the 7:05 a.m. accident, according to the Hawaii County Fire Department.
The crash occurred on private property about 200 yards mauka of Honokaa-Waipio Road (Highway 240), near Lookout Road. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the helicopter, was ambulatory after the crash, treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to the hospital, fire officials said.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the agency is investigating the hard landing or crash of a Hughes 369E helicopter under unknown circumstances.
K&S Helicopters, which has operated in Hawaii since 1997, offers a wide selection of helicopter tours and specialty flights on an authentic WWII aircraft. The company, which also runs utility operations, said it is cooperating with authorities and has activated its emergency response plan. No passengers were on board the aircraft, which was arriving for a utility flight, the company said.
“The care of our pilot is our highest priority right now,” Calvin Dorn of K&S Helicopters said in a statement.
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