Hawaii helicopter crash that killed 7 was ‘100% preventable’

By DAVID KOENIG and CALEB JONES
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Federal accident investigators are blaming a deadly Hawaii helicopter crash on the pilot’s decision to keep flying into worsening weather. But the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board saved her sharpest criticism for regulators who are supposed to oversee air tour operations. The 2019 crash killed all seven people on board. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday it was 100% preventable. She says people will be quick to blame the pilot, but that she is more concerned about the actions of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is supposed to regulate tour operators. Homendy says there has been minimal oversight of Hawaii’s popular helicopter tours.