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A tourist helicopter crashed on a remote beach on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, killing three people and injuring two others, authorities said.
Kaua’i Police Dispatch received a text-to-911 message that a helicopter had crashed into the ocean near Kalalau Beach on Thursday at approximately 3:45 p.m. local time, according to a news release from the Kaua’i Police Department (KPD). The beach is on the Na Pali Coast on Kauai’s north shore. The area is otherwise reachable only by hiking or boat.
Officials identified that the helicopter was being operated by Airborne Aviation, a helicopter company that does sightseeing tours of Kauai’s canyons, shoreline and waterfalls. The company advertises a “doors-off thrill seekers adventure tour” that seats up to four people.
Police said the two injured passengers were transported to Wilcox Medical Center for treatment.
“Personnel and resources from the Kaua’i Fire Department, the Kaua’i Emergency Management Agency, the United States Coast Guard, American Medical Response, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Kauaʻi Police Department are actively involved in the response,” the release added.
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The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that the incident occurred about 100 metres offshore, with the helicopter crash-landing on the sandbar of Kalalau Beach.
“We are greatly saddened by the loss of three lives in this helicopter crash and thinking of those individuals’ families and friends,” said Commander Andrew Williams, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. “We are also keeping the survivors in our thoughts as they begin their recovery. We remain grateful for close coordination with our partner agencies throughout this tragic incident.”
Derek Kawakami, mayor of Kauai, thanked the co-ordinated efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and local police, fire and safety agencies.
“Those folks responded very quickly and I want to thank all our first responders. This is still very much an active response and as active responses evolve the information will evolve as well,” Kawakami said on Thursday in an interview with Hawaii News Now.
Kawakami confirmed that the crash involved a “tour helicopter” with four passengers and one pilot.
“Here on Kauai, whenever somebody puts their feet on our soil, they’re one of ours, we treat them like one of ours, they’re a part of our family, and our first responders respond with that spirit in mind,” he added.
In July 2024, a tour helicopter crashed on Kauai, killing the pilot and two passengers. It broke up in-flight after it hit turbulence, causing the main rotor blades to strike its airframe, National Transportation Safety Board investigators found.
Authorities learned of the crash from hikers who were walking on the Kalalau Trail and saw a helicopter careen into the ocean, about 400 metres off the Na Pali Coast, and called police.
The helicopter that crashed was owned and operated by Ali’i Kaua’i Air Tours and Charters, which offers private airplane and helicopter tours around Kaua’i.
Global News has reached out to the Kaua’i Police Department and Airborne Aviation for further comment.
— with files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
