4 civilians have been killed when the military-contracted helicopter they have been on crashed close to a Hawaiian naval facility on Tuesday morning, a report mentioned.
The Sikorsky S-61N was supporting a coaching operation when it went down on the outskirts of the Pacific Missile Vary Facility on Kauai at about 10 a.m., officers told Hawaii News Now.
“One thing triggered that helicopter to speed up and go down,” witness Chris Turner informed the information outlet.
“It tweaked to the fitting after which instantly went straight nostril down at an accelerated pace ― straight down inside like one second,” mentioned Turner.
The helicopter, contracted by Croman Company, had scooped up an object from the ocean and was trying to drop it on land when the crash occurred, the corporate’s director or operations, Brian Beattie, informed Hawaii Information Now.
The fiery wreck was seen from miles away.
“I lookup and it’s a giant mushroom cloud of smoke,” mentioned Rebecca Leibbrandt.
The Nationwide Transportation Security Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
