Accident Summary
On September 24, 2004, at about 1642 Hawaiian standard time, a Bell 206B helicopter, registration N16849, operated by Bali Hai Helicopter Tours, Inc., impacted mountainous terrain in Kalaheo, Hawaii, on the island of Kauai. The crash site was located 8.4 miles northeast of Port Allen Airport in Hanapepe. The commercial pilot and four passengers were killed, and the helicopter was destroyed by impact forces and a postimpact fire. The nonstop sightseeing air tour flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 and visual flight rules without a flight plan. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed near the accident site.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the accident and adopted its final report on February 13, 2007. The investigation examined factors including pilot experience, operator scheduling, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight, and weather conditions.
Probable Cause
The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the accident was the pilot's decision to continue flight under visual flight rules into an area of turbulent, reduced visibility weather conditions, which resulted in the pilot's spatial disorientation and loss of control of the helicopter. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's inexperience in assessing local weather conditions, inadequate FAA surveillance of Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) 71 operating restrictions, and the operator's pilot-scheduling practices that likely had an adverse impact on pilot decision-making and performance.
Safety Issues and Recommendations
The investigation identified several safety issues, including the influence of pilot experience and operator scheduling on in-flight decision-making, the lack of FAA oversight of Part 91 air tour operators, the need for national air tour safety standards, and the lack of direct FAA surveillance of commercial air tour operators in Hawaii. The NTSB issued nine safety recommendations to the FAA addressing local weather-training programs for newly hired Hawaii air tour pilots, evaluation of operational practices for commercial air tour helicopter pilots, control of annual safety meetings by the Honolulu Flight Standards District Office as required under approved certificates of waiver or authorization, evaluation of the safety impact of altitude restrictions in Hawaii, national air tour safety standards, and the potential benefits of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast technology for Hawaii air tour operators.