Pilot Hospitalized

An MD Heli 530 (file photo, below) went down while engaged in fire-fighting operations in Hawaii. Pilot Jonathon D'Attilio, a helicopter pilot with InterIsland Helicopters, is in critical condition at Wilcox Memorial Hospital following an accident which forced his 530 down into the De Mello reservoir while battling a brush fire in Kapaia Valley.

The Christmas day accident occurred as D'Attilio was attempting to refill a Bambi bucket with water to fight the fire. The aircraft reportedly went down hard and inverted. Members of the Kaua'i Fire Department extricated the pilot from the vehicle and evacuated him to the hospital.

** Report created 12/27/2005 Record 10 **
IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 530MD Make/Model: MD36 Description: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD369FF
 Date: 12/25/2005 Time: 0340
 Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Serious Mid Air: N Missing: N
 Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
 City: LIHUE State: HI Country: US

DESCRIPTION
N530MD, AN INTER ISLAND MCDONNELL DOUGLAS 369FF ACFT, DURING A FIRE FIGHTING OPERATION, WAS PICKING UP WATER FROM A RESERVIOR WHEN IT CRASHED INTO THE RESERVIOR, THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE ROTORCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, 3 W OF LIHUE, KAUAI, HI

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
 # Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 1 Min: 0 Unk:
 # Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
 # Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: NOT REPORTED
OTHER DATA
 Departed: PORT ALLEN, HI Dep Date: Dep. Time:
 Destination: Flt Plan: Wx Briefing:
 Last Radio Cont:  Last Clearance:
 FAA FSDO: HONOLULU, HI (WP13) Entry date: 12/27/2005

FMI: http://interislandhelicopters.com/, www.ntsb.gov