[kellyhound]

In a tragic incident this morning near the USS Arizona Memorial visitor center theater, a tour helicopter operated by Genesis Aviation plunged into the waters, resulting in injuries to all five passengers on board. The crash occurred around 10:30 a.m., drawing immediate response from rescue personnel and bystanders.

Among those injured, a 16-year-old boy, later identified as Riley Dobson from Guelph, Ontario, suffered critical injuries and sadly lost his life. A prominent figure in Ontario's show jumping community, Riley was traveling with his family when the helicopter went down. Two other passengers, a 50-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman, were transported in stable condition to the hospital. Details about the two other individuals rescued by federal firefighters have not been fully disclosed.

A video uploaded on YouTube shows the helicopter making an alarming descent, crashing approximately 10 feet offshore. Chris Gardner, a guide from Keawe Adventures, noticed the helicopter's unusual sound before it hit the water. He, along with a federal police officer, heroically swam to the overturned helicopter to rescue an unconscious passenger, facing challenges in extracting another individual trapped inside.

The quick rescue efforts included Navy boats from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and federal firefighters. Tourist Amber Moncrieff, visiting from Australia, witnessed the crash and the subsequent rescue attempts by several people who jumped into the water to help.

[a175]

That's quite a bit closer than I'd like to be.
Kudos to the first responders

[Mufasa7]

He was just activating underwater mode

[William May]

This is a REALLY GOOD example of the PERFECT post and video. A coherent explanation of what happened, and excellent video of the event. Glad they all got out OK.

[dwizzy22]

I think hitting the water is why they survived.
Hitting those rocks would be an imminent explosion.

[Hunted]

short shaft failure or VRS (vortex ring state)

[durt]

Originally Posted by Hunted ↗

short shaft failure or VRS (vortex ring state)

Ya, that explains the RPM increase

[dropkic]

I lived there four months station at Pearl Harbor. I saw this on the news and man that was a hard landing. Glad to hear nobody died.

[durt]

Heard the 16 yr old passed

[dropkic]

Originally Posted by Hunted ↗

short shaft failure or VRS (vortex ring state)

Yeah, I noticed the increase in power made it worse and there were was no visible increase in rotor speed. I'll go with the VRS..