Three people have died, and two others are at Wilcox Medical Center in Lihue after a helicopter crashed in the ocean Thursday afternoon off Kalalau Beach. The aircraft was a Hughes 500 operated by Airborne Aviation, a company founded in 2009 whose reputation on Kauai was built not just on tours but on fire response, rescue flying, and government contract work.
The helicopter company has a 4.9 Google rating across more than 1,300 reviews, and similar reviews on TripAdvisor. Some travel writers and booking guides cited that background as the reason to choose Airborne over competitors. This was not a helicopter company that visitors avoided. It was the one they chose, especially for their “doors off” tours.
County officials said the helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers. Kauai County spokeswoman Meghan Wright confirmed the preliminary details and deaths.
With aloha and heavy hearts, we extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the three people who died. To the two survivors, we are holding you close in our thoughts and hoping for your full recovery. Kauai is a place that moves people deeply, and days like this remind us how fragile the moments we seek here can be. Our hearts are with everyone touched by this tragedy.
Na Pali keeps showing up in Kauai helicopter crashes.
The question is why the Na Pali Coast keeps showing up in these stories, no matter which company name is on the aircraft. Na Pali is one of the most sought-after helicopter routes anywhere in Hawaii, if not the world, and one of the most persistent names in the state’s helicopter crash history.
As Beat of Hawaii documented in “Why Hawaii Helicopter Crashes Keep Happening,” the same forces keep colliding here: terrain, weather, operational pressure, and an iconic tourism product built around scenery that people cannot experience any other way. Kauai has already seen the fatal July 2024 crash near Na Pali, the February 2024 crash at Honopu Beach, and earlier disasters that permanently shaped how this part of the island is viewed from an aviation safety standpoint.
The details of each crash are different, but Na Pali is no longer just the spectacular backdrop for these tours. It is part of the risk profile, with sheer cliffs, confined geography, sudden changes in visibility, rotating winds, downdrafts, and very little margin for error when conditions shift or judgment is tested.
Visitors do not usually book a helicopter tour, thinking first about wind shear or terrain-driven traps. They book because Na Pali is the image of Kauai that stays in their head after they start planning, the view of Kauai they cannot drive to and cannot really replicate from a lookout, which is exactly why its danger gets pushed into the background. The beauty has always been an easy sell. What comes harder is admitting how often this coastline shows up afterward in rescue operations, casualty counts, and federal investigations.
The visitor booking logic may no longer hold.
Most Hawaii travel problems can be reduced with good planning, but helicopter touring on Kauai is where safety logic starts to feel less assured. A visitor can skip the operator that feels cheapest, choose the company with the stronger reputation, look for a serious aviation background, a more established name, a better perceived aircraft type, and the kind of reviews that make a family feel comfortable saying “yes, we’re going.” A nearly flawless rating across more than 1,000 reviews is not a vague marketing line. It is exactly the kind of signal people use to make this high-cost, high-emotion, high-risk booking.
Airborne had the kind of profile that led visitors to believe they had largely solved the safety question. Founded in 2009, with a Kauai identity shaped by more than just sightseeing, Airborne looked like the operator you chose when you were trying to be smart in decision-making.
The Hughes 500 is the kind of aircraft many travelers associate with serious utility flying. Experience, maintenance, judgment, and aircraft are important, but it was the company that many visitors saw as the safer choice that became the latest one to go down on the Na Pali.
The real Kauai helicopter tour booking question may not be which company looks safest, but how much risk is built into a Na Pali helicopter tour, no matter who is flying it. It is easier to compare brands than weather or geography, easier to compare review scores than challenging terrain, and easier to believe that one company can solve what the coastline is. Airborne had the exact kind of reputation that many visitors felt comfortable with. Details of the crash are still under investigation.
What are your thoughts about the crash and helicopter tours in Hawaii?
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Sad for the loss of lives and the stress for these families. Isn’t it past time to limit helicopter flights and flight paths on Kauai? We are sick of the noise when camping at Kalalau or hiking the trails on the Na Pali and Kokee. There are over 100 flights a day and you would think that the companies would respect the serenity of Kalalau and avoid flying over the valley where people are seeking the solitude of nature. They fly low right over the valley and break the altitude rules of 1500 feet all day long. It is time for one day a week on Kauai with Zero helicopter tours. We need a break from the deci-bullies.
We have 10 companies operating about 100 flights a day. I am a resident of Kauai and frequent camper at Kalalau and hiker at the Waimea canyon and Kokee state park. It is impossible to get away from the constant roar of the helicopters. When we camp at Kalalau, our permit states that we are not allowed to bring boom boxes or speakers. Loud noise and music is not permitted on the ground but the helicopter tours fly right over this valley and oftentimes at very low elevations and the loud roar echoes off the walls of the palis. Those of us seeking the quiet of nature have to listen to these helicopters from 8 am to 5 pm when camping there. It is time to have one day a week on Kauai be Quiet with no helicopters. The number of flights needs to be limited. People who live in Haena have to listen to the helicopters all day long. It is an industry that employs about 300 people and yet all of use who live on Kauai are affected with serious noise pollution. Tropic birds are affected as well.
I have been on many helicopter tours over the years. The Kauai ride was the best. My philosophy is that if the pilot gets on, so will I.
Excellent article that gets right down to the core. The author obviously understands the unique inner workings and money motivation behind this. Airborne Aviation operates seven sister aircraft of the same make, model, and similar age to N715KV that crashed: N711KV, N719KV, N556MH, N369MH, N514PA, N357MH, and N716KV.
Has a former owner of a PR firm in Maui and Oahu- I used to represent two of the top Helicopter tour companies and I had the blessing of getting to go on frequent helicopter rides. Life comes with risks- it’s still riskier to drive a car. You have more chances of a car accident but it’s the chance we take so that we can live our life to the fullest. My condolences to the families of those who perished. As horrible as this is; they died looking at one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I hiked The Narrows in Zion and there is the possibility of a flash flood. I was so in awe of the beauty that I thought- God forbid something happens this amazing beauty of this slot canyon is something I got to experience.
“ the image of Kauai that stays in their head after they start planning, the view of Kauai they cannot drive to and cannot really replicate from a lookout” is exactly the same as if they were looking at a video instead – except for video is much safer
I took my first helicopter tour on Kauai decades ago on Air Kauai. It was thrilling and the scenery was spectacular. The pilot was a Viet Nam combat veteran copter jockey that brought the chopper so close to the waterfalls, the misty spray reached the windshield.
He handled that machine with such skill and confidence, we felt so safe in his hands. Yes, it was a risk, but so is swimming in an ocean with sharks.
What a heartbreaking event. My wife was desperate to take a helicopter tour on our first trip to Kauai cerca 2005. I am a fixed wing pilot and A&P mechanic and was a fixed wing crewcheif in the army where I saw several rotor wing accidents. I conceded that I would only do it if someone operated a Hughes 500 as they have lots of power and a good survivability history. Voila! There was Airborne with their bright red OH6. I confidently took my wife on a spectacular 1 hr flight. A week after we got home an AStar 350 hit the volcano wall killing all aboard. I looked at my wife and reiterated that was why we insisted on the Hughes 500. I always felt that the complexity of helicopters make them inherently unsafe , but so think alot of fixed wing aviators. So sad to hear of this tragedy. I truly cherish the memory of that amazing flight to areas so few see. My heart goes out to all affected by this horrific tragedy.
Specifically no tours should be offered or allowed in that area due to the high number of crashes there. I don’t understand the reason helicopters still fly there.
What’s the appeal of helicopter thrill rides here when there’s so much to experience by car, boat, easy walks, and longer hikes? You can’t listen to the birds over engine noise or smell the flowers, only burnt fuel. And that’s before considering how disruptive helicopters are to others on the ground, the expense and personal risk. Extending deepest, heartfelt condolences to all involved.
The views by hiking are amazing, by boat surreal, but by air far superior. I have done all 3 to that very beach. Yeah, when your hiking it is a little annoying, but outside helecopter hours mornings and evenings you have time for solitude. I was there just this month; and what a beautiful location, one of my favorite places on earth! I feel bad that this happened, but would take another flight in a heartbeat. God bless
How about floats? They are expensive to buy, maintain and add weight but that’s a no brainer.
Condolences to the families affected. My husband is retired from MFD and did his share of rescues via helicopter transport. So I thought for sure on our Alaska cruise he’d want to book a helicopter tour of the glaciers – absolutely not!! He refused to do any air tours on our cruise, doesn’t trust helicopters or small planes. On our first port call, there was a horrific air collision between two small tour planes. Eleven people were killed, a few of the deceased were from our cruise ship. It was very sobering.
I’ve done tours with regular tourist helicopter companies, all closed doors, on Kauai, Big Island and twice on Maui. I also was on a tour from Colorado Springs, which was the scariest due to high and changing wind directions. However, I will no longer be doing these tours because I don’t want my luck to run out.
I’ve always thought the small planes were safer than helicopters. What can’t you see from a small plane that you can from a helicopter? Some amount of risk is involved in any thing worthwhile. I’ve learned not to blindly trust most reviews, very tragic indeed.
A sad day for those involved in the accident and their loved ones, the hearts of all Kaua’i goes out to them.
The amazing, world class scenery of the Na Pali has inherent danger. Beauty and danger go hand in hand wherever you are. Once again I think some people come here expecting a Disneyland experience and Kauai is not a thrill ride, it’s the real deal. The catamarans to see the Na Pali coast is an open ocean experience frought with its own dangers. Unfortunately losses to nature do happen here and it’s a sad time for everyone here.
A sad day for those involved in the accident and their loved ones, the hearts of all Kaua’i goes out to them.
The amazing, world class scenery of the Na Pali has inherent danger. Beauty and danger go hand in hand wherever you are. Once again I think some people come here expecting a Disneyland experience and Kauai is not a thrill ride, it’s the real deal. The catamarans to see the Na Pali coast is an open ocean experience frought with its own dangers. Unfortunately losses to nature do happen here and it’s a sad time for everyone here.
My prayers to the families of those who were lost, and to the employees of the company, who now have to carry this tragedy.
I went down the helicopter tour rabbit hole before my trip to Kauai, but after spending hours and hours researching it, Irealized I am just too much of a chicken for it. I chose Captain Andy’s Na Pali Coast tour instead and was promptly tossed around like a rag doll for 3 hours, with people barfing all over the place all around me! As such, I didn’t really get to enjoy the beauty nor absorb the history of the thing, and with a cost of $600 for two (in 2024), it was insult to injury.
I’m not exactly sure of what you are trying to say here, if anything other than to report another crash. You could have printed details from other crashes that could lead to some conclusions about whether or not booking a helicopter tour was a good idea or not. Or what the odds might be of being in an accident and if so what the injury chances and severity might be. A bit more useful detail would have been appreciated. Mahalo.
I wonder if “doors off” factors into these crashes… My heart breaks for the families.
I learned a very long time ago not to trust many of the top “reviews”
Sources out there, definitely Google and TripAdvisor included.
As for Hawai’i heli tours, I will never forget the gentleman I sat next to on a mainland flight a number of years ago. He was the son of an executive of the former pineapple plantations on Lana’i, and was raised in Hawai’i. Air tours came up, and he flatly said he would NEVER take a helicopter tour on Hawai’i because of the very serious risks & history of fatal incidents. This was a guy that deeply loved his home state, very sharp, and his words have stayed with me. I have done my one & only Hawai’i helicopter tour on the Big Island to see the volcanoes. The topography there is vastly different, but Hawai’i weather is notoriously unpredictable, with sudden changes. I will do no more helicopter tours.
This gentleman was right. I grew up in Hawaii, (family moved there in 1967), and heard too many accident reports on the news. My dad said he’d never take a helicopter tour, especially on Kauai. (Maybe having a private pilot’s license and being in-the-know contributed to that.) In 2023, when my son was planning his Kauai honeymoon, (relocated from Maui due to the wildfires), I told him Not to book one of these tours. He had been planning to and changed his mind after hearing my advice. I’m so grateful he listened to his mom!
Unfortunately there is a level risk you’re taking when on any guided tour let alone a helicopter tour on Hawaii.
Earlier this month in California 9 people died in a guided ski tour they were swept up in an avalanche. This one could have been avoided, but questionable decisions were made by both tour operators and tourist over a non refundable tour.
When booking a tour remember you are in charge of your and your families well being. If something doesn’t feel right you need to be strong enough to say this is a no go or check the tour operator by say “Hey this is putting us in unnecessary danger”.
If you can’t do these things then I’d think twice before booking a tour.
We’ve been visiting Kauai since 1995 and have never been on a helicopter tour; this is why. So tragic.
🙁