Crashes don't stop Hawaii air tours

HAENA, Hawaii — Gliding through the clouds, Ain McKendrick spotted humpback whales just below the surface of the ocean, photographed the lush green mountains and gawked at waterfalls.

He wasn't going to miss an opportunity to see Kauai from above despite two fatal tour-helicopter crashes on the Hawaiian island in four days.

"We knew about the accidents ... and we felt safe," said McKendrick, a 36-year-old technology worker from San Jose, Calif.

Helicopter tour companies on Kauai reported a few cancellations and a slight slowdown in reservations after the two fatal accidents. Five people died and several were seriously injured in the crashes; the pilots had radioed about mechanical problems.

Taulbee wasn't alone in his enthusiasm to fly.

The lobby at Will Squyres Helicopters was crowded with customers, and Island Helicopters sent up its normal 16 flights.

McKendrick, a recreational pilot, and his girlfriend were among the first people to take a tour from Heli-USA Airways, which resumed flying Monday for the first time since one of its aircraft crashed on March 8 at Princeville Airport on Kauai's North Shore. The crash killed four people including the pilot.

Last Sunday, a chopper from Inter-Island Helicopters spun out of the sky just miles away at a YMCA camp in the remote Haena area. One passenger died and several were seriously injured.

Some visitors fearful

Helicopter tours have been very popular in Hawaii, with about one in 10 tourists who visited the islands in 2005 taking an air tour, state tourism officials said. That's more than 750,000 passengers paying about $200 for a typical 45- to 55-minute ride.

The crashes came just a few weeks after the National Transportation Safety Board blasted Federal Aviation Administration officials, alleging insufficient oversight and regulation of Hawaii's helicopter tours.

And some visitors say they're reluctant to fly, with five fatal tour helicopter crashes on Kauai in less than four years killing a total of 18 people.

"Now I certainly won't go," said Charles Phillips, who lives on Oahu.

Phillips, 53, already had concerns about the safety of the helicopter rides, but told his wife after Thursday's crash that they should consider a flight with the odds against a second crash anytime soon.

Phillips said he got rid of the idea after last Sunday's accident.

The heavily advertised tours are one of the most popular tourist activities on Kauai and the only way to see most of the island in an hour.

Eight companies on the island take passengers to see the filming locations of "Jurassic Park" and "King Kong," the Na Pali coastline and Waimea Canyon. Extinct volcanos, rain forests, rainbows and waterfalls are also often seen on narrated tours.