Search launched for missing tour helicopter

WAILUKU, Hawaii  A search was launched Friday for a helicopter with seven people aboard that failed to return from a tour flight on the island of Maui. The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter and airplane to join in the search on the north part of the island for the Blue Hawaiian tours aircraft that was reported overdue at 11:20 a.m., HST. The helicopter departed Kahului Airport around 10 a.m. for a sightseeing flight along the rugged coastal area which has steep cliffs and deep valleys.

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-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), July 21, 2000

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Saturday July 22 2:31 AM ET U.S. Helicopter Crashes on Maui, 7 Presumed Dead

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Reuters) - A tour helicopter crashed on Friday on the western side of the Hawaiian island of Maui, and all seven people aboard were presumed dead, a U.S. Coast Guard official said.

The ASTAR 350 single engine helicopter, carrying six passengers and a pilot, was last seen when it left Kahului Airport on Friday morning for what was to be a 30-minute scenic flight over lush tropical waterfalls, mountains and foliage.

When the helicopter did not return 45 minutes later, search and rescue crews were dispatched. A rescue crew from Blue Hawaiian Co., which charters the tour helicopters, discovered the wreckage in the deep Iao Valley hours later, Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Christine De Leon said.

It was unclear exactly when the crash occurred and by late Friday night rescue workers had not found a way to reach the wreckage because it was located in an area of steep, rough terrain where there are no roads.

There were no known witnesses to the accident, De Leon said. According to the Blue Hawaiian Web site (www.bluehawaiian.com), the company has 16 tour helicopters which fly 140,000 people annually.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), July 22, 2000.