Military helicopter
lands hard on Big Isle

HILO » A Hawaii Army National Guard helicopter returning to Hilo from a marijuana eradication mission in Kona made a hard landing on Saddle Road above Hilo after hitting a power line twice yesterday afternoon, officials said.

The pilot, the only person on board the OH-58 Kiowa helicopter, was not injured, said Guard spokesman James Young.

The OH-58 is the military observation version of the five-seat Bell 206 JetRanger.

The helicopter suffered "major damage," but no details were available, Young said.

The landing was about 18 miles west of Hilo Bay.

Big Island fire Capt. Tracy Yanagi said the pilot, whose name was not released, told him he was trying to gain altitude when he hit a power line, breaking a window on the chopper. Yanagi said the pilot then tried to land the chopper and hit a power line again, breaking a second window. It was not clear whether the pilot hit the same power line twice or two separate lines.

Yanagi said the pilot then made a controlled landing on the highway. He declined medical assistance, Yanagi said.

Investigators from Fort Rucker, Ala., will fly to the island to investigate, Yanagi said.

Deputy Police Chief Harry Kubojiri said the Kiowa choppers are typically used to spot marijuana on the ground and direct ground eradication teams to it. Police vice units were finishing a two-day operation at the time of the incident, he said.

Kona Capt. Robert Hickcox said the Guard helicopter typically serves as a "spotter bird," carrying a police officer who recognizes marijuana from the air. A Drug Enforcement Administration "work bird" then carries a marijuana eradication team to the site.

Yesterday's mission ended at 2 p.m. after 1,200 marijuana plants were seized in the Kau and North and South Kona districts, Hickcox said.

When such a mission ends, the police spotter is typically dropped off in Kona and the Guard and DEA helicopter fly back to Hilo together, he said. But there was no information on whether the choppers were together at the time of the incident.