The third victim in a fatal tour helicopter crash just offshore of Kalalau Beach along the Nāpali Coast in March was identified as Ukrainian national Oksana Pihol.
Pihol, 40, was aboard the Airborne Aviation flight with 65-year-old Margaret Rimmler and 59-year-old Patrick Haskell, both from Massachusetts, on March 26, when the aircraft went down.
Rimmler and Haskell were also killed.
Kauaʻi Police Dispatch received a text-to-911 message at about 3:45 p.m. about the crash. The helicopter had one pilot and four passengers aboard at the time of the crash, police said.
Kaua‘i County Police Chief Rudy Tai stated in a press conference that preliminary reports indicate the pilot attempted to bring the McDonnell Douglas MD 500 helicopter closer to the shore during the crash, which occurred on the remote beach that is a popular stop for people hiking the Kalalau Trail.
The five people aboard were airlifted from the remote Kalalau Beach by the Kauaʻi Fire Department, police said. The Coast Guard said Good Samaritans helped.
Multiple agencies continued to respond to the crash by 7:30 p.m. Thursday. An area at Princeville Airport also was cordoned off with yellow police tape as the investigation continues.
Personnel and resources from Kauaʻi Fire Department, Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, American Medical Response, Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources and Kauaʻi Police Department are actively involved in the response.
The crash is currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
