ASSOCIATED PRESS Tony Coronel, left, and Sheldon Camacho watched as wreckage of the downed helicopter was lowered onto their flatbed truck Sunday at the Waioli Town Park in Hanalei, Kauai.

Moments leading to
copter’s crash detailed

Investigators say the pilot
had time to warn passengers

LIHUE » A Heli USA Airways helicopter dove nearly a thousand feet, climbed, dove again, then hit the water near the mouth of Limahuli Stream, crash survivors told federal investigators.

The helicopter pilot had enough time to warn passengers of the crash and send out a number of May Day calls before hitting the ocean, National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Nicole Charnon said yesterday.

Charnon said investigators were still piecing together the last moments of the tour helicopter crash that killed three people, including Laverne Clifton, 69, of Beloit, Wis.

They have gotten statements from the two surviving passengers: Clifton's daughter, Karen, and his son-in-law, Bill Thorson; and the pilot, who has not yet been identified.

Clifton and the Thorsons were sitting in the rear of the helicopter during the planned 45-minute tour, Charnon said. Thorson and his wife of about a week were sitting on the right and left of the aircraft, respectively, with Laverne Clifton sitting in the middle seat.

As the pilot told the passengers "to prepare for evacuation," Thorson took off his headphones, donned his life vest, and tried to help his father-in-law, Charnon said.

All three escaped the helicopter before it settled on the ocean floor, Charnon said.

Of the other two female passengers who were sitting in the front seat, one was trapped inside and had to be extricated by Kauai firefighter Gavin Kennelly and lifeguard Kaeo Lopez.

It was unclear at this point if any of the dead were conscious after the impact, Charnon said.

The helicopter, except for one of the rotor blade pieces, was recovered from about 25 feet of water Sunday. Only two life vests appeared to be missing.

Investigators would like to know how many of the passengers were able to don their life vests and inflate them, so they can determine how thorough and effective Heli USA's safety briefing was prior to the flight. It might help the NTSB make recommendations that would save lives in the future, she continued.

They have not ruled out any causes of the crash. But Sunday, Debra Eckrote, a senior NTSB investigator, said weather was a factor. She said investigators would be combing through the wreckage and Heli USA's data to see if there were any other factors.

Meanwhile, Kauai officials have refused to release the identity of the other victims. Families with relatives vacationing on Kauai have been frantically calling the Star-Bulletin and other media, worried their loved ones might have been involved.

Kauai police released Clifton's name only after Wisconsin police identified him in media reports.

They have yet to even publicly acknowledge that his daughter Karen Thorson and her husband were involved in the crash.

Police have refused to release identities, saying they "had to notify next of kin." When Kauai County Public Information Officer Mary Daubert was reminded the rule did not apply to the pilot, who survived, she gave another reason for the delay: "We don't want to cause them any more harm."

COURTESY OF WISL-TV VIA KITV4 Barbara and Laverne Clifton were celebrating their 45th anniversary on Kauai, as well as their daughter's wedding. Then tragedy struck.

Wedding, anniversary
trips to Kauai turn tragic

Two of the survivors of Friday's tour helicopter crash off Kauai were in Hawaii on their honeymoon.

Karen Thorson, 44, and her husband, William Thorson Jr., 48, returned to Wisconsin yesterday.

Her father, Laverne Clifton, here to celebrate his 45th wedding anniversary, died after the crash, a family member said.

Karen Thorson's mother, Barbara Clifton, also returned to Wisconsin yesterday.

Kauai police identified Laverne Clifton, 69, of Beloit, Wis., as one of the three people who died after the crash. The other two have not yet been identified.

Laverne Clifton's wife had watched him and the Thorsons take off from Lihue Airport and waited for their return, said daughter-in-law Lauri Clifton.

Karen Thorson has been the Beloit Police Department's evidence clerk for almost 20 years, said Capt. William Tyler of the Beloit Police Department.

"Under the circumstances, we're obviously elated she's OK ," Tyler said. He said she stopped by the department yesterday.

Police in Kauai asked Beloit police for assistance in notifying family members of Clifton's death Saturday. Tyler said he talked to Karen Thorson briefly when she was still in the hospital but she was too distraught to call family members in Wisconsin.

The Thorsons were married Sept. 17 in Wisconsin. They and the Cliftons arrived in Hawaii Sept. 19 for a one-week stay, Lauri Clifton said.