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Helicopter makes hard landing above Sacred Falls; no injuries reported

Rosemarie Bernardo
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Video by Craig T. Kojima / ckojima@staradvertiser.com
A helicopter under contract to the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife crashed this morning in a gully near Sacred Falls.
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COURTESY HAWAII DLNR

A helicopter under contract to the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife crashed this morning in a gully near Sacred Falls.

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COURTESY MANOP KARNJANABURUNG

Rescue crews respond to a helicopter that was forced to make a hard landing near Sacred Falls in Hauula today.

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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARDVERTISER.COM

Honolulu firefighters and Emergency Medical Services responded to a helicopter carrying four people that was forced to make a hard landing after it reportedly lost engine power near Sacred Falls in Hauula today.

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COURTESY MANOP KARNJANABURUNG

Rescue crews respond to a helicopter that was forced to make a hard landing near Sacred Falls in Hauula today.

Honolulu firefighters and Emergency Medical Services responded to a helicopter carrying four people that was forced to make a hard landing after it reportedly lost engine power near Sacred Falls in Hauula today.

Six units including the Honolulu Fire Department’s Air 1 helicopter responded to the chopper contracted by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife that made a hard landing in a remote area of the Kaluanui Natural Area Reserve above Sacred Falls at about 11:36 a.m.

Officers of the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement also responded.

Ian Gregor, spokesman of the Federal Aviation Administration, said a Hughes 369E helicopter reportedly rolled over into a tree after it lost engine power and made a hard landing.

Honolulu Fire Spokesman Capt. Scot Seguirant said four people including the pilot were in the helicopter at the time. No injuries were reported.

An employee from the Division of Forestry and Wildlife and two representatives from Pacific Rim Conservation, a non-profit organization, were in the chopper to deploy seabird song meters into the natural area reserve, according to a DLNR news release.

The devices record bird sounds for population studies.

Oahu branch manager Marigold Zoll of the Division of Forestry and Wildlife said, “We follow a stringent set of safety protocols and one of these protocols is known as “flight-following,” which resulted in the incident being reported very quickly. We are thankful everyone walked away from this without injury.”

The helicopter is registered to K & S Helicopters, Inc., a company based in Kailua-Kona.

The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the hard landing.

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