A critically injured teen who survived the crash of a touring helicopter in Hawaii last week has died. The Bell 206B, which plunged into the water near Pearl Harbor memorials on Feb. 18 with five aboard, was in an emergency descent, the NTSB reported Thursday. The 16-year-old Canadian boy was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where he died Monday, Hawaii News Now reported. The pilot and two other passengers were seriously injured, and one passenger had minor injuries. The helicopter, registered to an individual and flown for tours by Genesis Helicopters of Honolulu, was captured on video by a witness as it descended into the water just off the shore and rolled over.
The NTSB said in its preliminary report the pilot was in cruise flight when he felt a vibration, heard a grinding noise, then heard a “loud bang” followed by loss of rotor RPM. He began autorotation towards a grassy site near a war monument, but saw people in the area. He began a left pedal turn to land just offshore and the rapid descent ended in about 40 feet of water, 20 feet from land, the report said. Investigators recovered the helicopter from the waterthe next day. Genesis shut down operations after the crash, according to the company’s website.
