Copter crash
victims identifiedThe remains of two couples
from Colorado and Virginia
are pulled from Mount Waialeale
LIHUE >> The last of five victims from Wednesday's sightseeing helicopter crash was pulled from the Mount Waialeale wreckage yesterday, and all were identified.
Jeffrey and Monica Peterson, both 33, of Denver, and Edward J. Wadiak, 55, and his wife, Teresa M. Wadiak, 53, of Manassas, Va., died in the crash, Kauai County officials said.
The Petersons owned a painting company, while Edward Wadiak owned a satellite tracking company, Transmitter Location Systems LLC, and his wife was a middle-school English teacher. The Wadiaks had come to Hawaii to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
Their pilot, 44-year-old Mark Lundgren, of Puhi, Kauai, also was killed.
Fire Battalion Chief Bob Kaden said it appeared the chopper had hit the side of the mountain and could have dropped as much as 100 feet.
"It looked like when you take a sheet of tin foil and squeeze it," he said. "It was a real, crumpled mess."
The chopper, owned and operated by Jack Harter Helicopters, went down at about 9 a.m. Wednesday, but it was not spotted until about three hours later.
When rescuers first reached the crash site, they made a startling discovery: One of the victims, Monica Peterson, was alive.
For nearly three hours, firefighters prayed for a miracle as they stayed by the woman's side about 4,600 feet up Mount Waialeale. They gave her oxygen, administered CPR and huddled in the damp cliffs.
Peterson was able to speak before she died, said Wayne Pollack, National Transportation Safety Board investigator in charge of the case. However, her words provided no clues to the reason for the crash, he said.
Conditions changed by the moment, sources familiar with the situation said. Winds and clouds swirled around the firefighters. Clouds rolled in and dropped as much as 1,000 feet in a matter of seconds.
The clouds kept the rescue helicopter from returning in time. Peterson was dead when a break in the cover allowed the chopper to return.
"Her injuries were so massive, and she had so much internal bleeding. She was dying," said Kaden. "She just wasn't going to survive no matter what."
Those who have seen the crash site or pictures of it say the helicopter was barely recognizable. Its tail section was separated; its main rotor, severely bent.
Investigators from the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration flew over the sight yesterday, but weather prevented a landing. They plan to recover the wreckage today.
Meanwhile, they have requested radar data to check the chopper's path. Autopsies and a toxicology report on the pilot were pending.
The safety board's preliminary report was not expected for a week.
The victims, whose remains were said to be near the wreckage, were badly battered.
"It was a lot of impact," said Kaden, "a lot of damage."
