Kreindler has been retained to represent the families of two people who died in the tragic fatal crash of an Airbus AS350 tour helicopter in Kauai, Hawaii, on December 26, 2019. Both victims were vacationing in Hawaii.
The helicopter was scheduled to tour the Na Pali Coast on the island of Kauai that was featured in the film “Jurassic Park.” The AS350 B2 helicopter, registration number N985SA, caught on fire after it crashed on the island of Kauai. There were six passengers and a commercial pilot aboard. The AS350 was registered to SAF LTD and operated by Safari Aviation Inc.
What Happened
An Airbus AS350 crashed during a Safari Helicopter sightseeing tour of the island of Kauai in Hawaii on Thursday, December 26, 2019. The AS350 took off from Lihue Airport and had made last contact after leaving the Waimea Canyon area.
Authorities were notified half an hour after the tour group failed to return according to schedule. The Coast Guard and other local officials began the search for the helicopter late on Thursday. The weather in the area presented challenges including poor visibility. The search continued on Friday with additional aid provided by private helicopters as well as other organizations including the U.S. Navy. The helicopter and the remains of six people were recovered late Friday.
Our investigation and initial NTSB reports indicate this is yet another senseless tragedy resulting from an inadvertent flight into adverse weather leading to a collision with terrain. Unfortunately, accidents are not uncommon involving tour helicopters not only in Hawaii, but throughout the world.
For decades, the firm has proposed changes to the operating regulations for helicopter tour operators in Hawaii, Alaska and the Grand Canyon. Kreindler partners and former military pilots Brian Alexander and Justin Green continue to work with government officials to address several of our concerns regarding the safety of tour helicopters.
Our goal is nothing less than an exhaustive investigation of the facts and absolute excellence in the quality of legal services we provide on behalf of our clients, regardless of where the crash occurred.
In addition to working with Congress to improve helicopter tour safety, Kreindler partners have long lobbied for desperately needed improvements to weak insurance requirements for pilots of general aviation aircraft. Partner Justin Green, along with Kreindler attorney Steve Pounian, raised the issue in a recent article on aviation law they authored for the New York Law Journal entitled Challenges in General Aviation Accident Litigation.
Kreindler Experience with Helicopter Crash Cases
Our staff of attorneys includes four commercially licensed helicopter pilots and one former helicopter maintenance specialist. Kreindler attorneys have successfully led cases involving a myriad uses of helicopters:
Emergency rescue helicopters
Outsourced military operations handled by private contractors
Helicopters used for transportation to and from offshore oil or gas platforms
Firefighting operations
Commuter traffic monitoring and reporting
Sightseeing and travel tours
Chartered and corporate helicopter operations
Our partners have authored numerous highly acclaimed books, articles and treatises on aviation litigation, including the leading treatise in the field, Aviation Accident Law.
We wrote the book
Kreindler has literally written the book on aviation accident law. Our partners have authored numerous highly acclaimed books, articles and treatises, including the leading treatise in the aviation litigation field, Aviation Accident Law.
Kreindler partners and former military pilots Justin Green, Brian Alexander and Dan Rose.
Kreindler is one of the largest and most distinguished aviation accident law firms in the world. Since 1950, our attorneys have served as lead counsel in nearly every major commercial aviation disaster litigation. Our staff of attorneys includes four commercially licensed helicopter pilots and one former helicopter maintenance specialist (who is also a graduate of the NTSB Accident Investigation Course). The firm has successfully handled countless private, charter, military, general aviation and helicopter accident cases.
Our goal is nothing less than an exhaustive investigation of the facts and absolute excellence in the quality of legal services we provide on behalf of our clients, regardless of where the crash occurred.
