Helicopter lands hard
on Mauna LoaThe chopper's skids are
broken off, but no one is injured
HILO >> A Sunshine Helicopters aircraft with a pilot and six passengers on board made a hard landing high on Mauna Loa yesterday, but no one was injured, an official at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park said.
After receiving word at 12:30 p.m. that a helicopter went down in the park, a Volcano Helicopters aircraft hired by the park found the Sunshine helicopter at the 8,500-foot elevation, spokeswoman Mardie Lane said.
The skids on which the helicopter lands were broken off, and the underbelly was damaged, Lane said.
The three men and three women passengers on board -- including an Australian celebrating his birthday -- walked away, she said.
The Volcano helicopter carried the passengers to the area near the park headquarters in two groups and then made a third trip to ferry the pilot, she said.
Clouds and light rain hampered the investigation of the cause of the incident, and the helicopter was left in place on the mountain overnight until the investigation could resume today, ranger John Broward said.
The flight had originated about midmorning from a West Hawaii heliport operated by Sunshine near Hapuna Beach, Lane said. The reason for the helicopter being at such a high elevation was not immediately clear. The company declined to comment.
