A sightseeing helicopter with five people on board went into the ocean roughly 100 yards off Kalalau Beach on Kauaʻi’s Nāpali Coast on the afternoon of Thursday, March 26, 2026. Three of them died. Two were pulled from the crash site and taken for medical care.
The aircraft was a tour helicopter on a scenic flight, with one pilot and four passengers, according to updates from outlets with access to county information. Kalalau can be reached only by boat, air or a strenuous hike, which slowed the emergency response. County crews still got there quickly, using helicopters, rescue watercraft and ocean safety personnel. Campers and beachgoers were already trying to help the injured. Images shared in local media showed debris in the surf and responders treating people on the sand.
The victims
Associated Press coverage, drawing on county agencies, identified two of the dead as visitors from Massachusetts: Margaret Rimmler, 65, and Patrick Haskell, 59. The third victim’s name was withheld until relatives were notified. The two survivors were injured, and no detail on their condition has been made public.
The operator, Airborne Aviation, suspended flights and issued a statement of condolence to the families. It said it would cooperate with investigators.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation. The aircraft was a Hughes/MD 500-series helicopter, and it came to rest in shallow water near the beach, where the surf and reef may make it hard to lift the wreckage out in one piece. Local crews and federal partners are working to secure the site and document the evidence before waves and corrosion do more damage.
Investigators usually examine maintenance records, pilot experience, recent flight history, weather and any recovered data or communications. Reports say the steep coastline and fast-changing weather will draw close attention. A preliminary report is expected within weeks. A final finding on probable cause could take many months.
A record under scrutiny
Wire service reporting says at least 16 people have died in helicopter crashes in Hawaii over the past seven years, several of them on Kauaʻi’s north shore. In 2019 a tour flight went down in steep terrain near the Nāpali Coast and all seven people aboard were killed. The Federal Aviation Administration has since put a specialized framework in place for Hawaii air tours, with enhanced safety management plans, equipment recommendations and extra review for operators wanting to fly lower in complex terrain.
The industry says helicopter sightseeing is essential to Hawaii’s tourism economy. Critics say the risk is still too high. After the crash, some visitors began canceling or rethinking helicopter bookings on Kauaʻi, according to news outlets and online travel communities, while residents and advocacy groups renewed calls for stricter limits on tour flights over the coast.
