A helicopter carrying six people seriously injured the pilot and one passenger after it went down over a remote Hawaii Island lava field late on Wednesday, officials said.
Cyrus Johnasen, a Hawaii County public information office, said the tour helicopter with a pilot and five passengers on board crashed near the southernmost tip of the Big Island.
At approximately 5:30 p.m., authorities received an initial report on the crash, HawaiiNewsNow reported.
The Hawaii County Fire Department dispatched two helicopters to the site to airlift victims to ambulances waiting on nearby roads as vehicles were unable to access the crash site.
Everyone was safely evacuated, but the pilot, described as a man in his 50s, had been stuck in the aircraft. He was safely extracted in a serious but stable condition.
A second victim, a 19-year-old woman, was airlifted to Kona Community Hospital and is reportedly in serious condition, the network reported.
The remaining four passengers included a woman in her teens, a 23-year-old man, a 48-year-old man, and a 54-year-old man. Their conditions ranged from stable to serious.
The chopper belonged to Paradise Helicopters, Hawaii’s largest locally owned and operated helicopter business. The company has identified the craft as a Bell 407, according to HawaiiNewsNow.
No information was immediately released on what caused the crash. The tourist company said it is cooperating with officials and assisting everyone involved.
“The care of our passengers, crew members and their families is our highest priority,” Calvin Dorn of K&S Helicopters said in a statement.
Pictures shared on social media by the Hawaii County Fire Department show the severely damaged chopper.
Mitch Roth, The mayor of Hawaii County, described the situation as “fluid,” The Associated Press reported.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials are said to be investigating the crash.
