Pilot and Passengers Uninjured
Prompted by the in-flight illumination of an annunciator light, the pilot of an Airbus (formerly Eurocopter, formerly Aerospatiale) AS350-B2 helicopter made a precautionary landing in the parking lot of Hawaii’s Aloha Stadium. The maneuver was well executed, and neither the aircraft, the pilot, nor the three passengers aboard the aircraft were damaged.
The helicopter is owned and operated by Rainbow Helicopters, a tour concern that’s faced scrutiny over a succession of mishaps that occurred over a relatively brief, 2018-2019 time period. Subject mishaps included a Wahiawa incident in which a Rainbow helicopter encountered engine problems and sustained substantial damage resultant of an emergency landing; a Kaneohe sandbar accident in which a Rainbow pilot blacked out twice and passengers had to take control of the aircraft; and a Kailua accident that saw three lives lost when a Rainbow helicopter broke apart amid heavy wind gusts and impacted a residential street.
A 2020 whistleblower report filed by FAA inspector Joseph Monfort alleged that Rainbow Helicopters—then operating as Novictor—benefited from “inappropriately” close ties with FAA managers who’d afforded the operator special treatment.
Shortly after the fatal Kailua crash, Novictor rebranded itself Rainbow Helicopters.
Notwithstanding his employer’s past regulatory entanglements, the pilot by whose quick thinking, sound judgment, and solid airmanship the AS350 was brought safely to ground outside Aloha Stadium is being praised by aviation experts.
Richard Schuman, president of Oahu-based Magnum Helicopters opined: “The pilot for some reason, you know, felt something was going wrong. And he picked one of the best places, you could pick a huge empty parking lot,” Mr. Schuman articulately added: “Sense, smell, hear something and doesn’t feel right, it’s much better to get it on the ground. And then we can talk about it. So I think this pilot, for whatever he felt at that time, he wanted to put it on the ground, and he’d made the correct decision.”
In a post-incident statement, Rainbow Helicopters asserted: “Rainbow is cooperating with the investigation and with the authorities. Safety is our number one priority and our pilot followed standard safety policies and protocols.”
Rainbow vice president of safety John Cox remarked in an email: “The pilot conducted the landing being conservative and made a normal touchdown in the parking lot. Safety is our number one priority and our pilot followed standard safety policies and protocols.”
Following the 14:23 HST emergency landing, Rainbow maintenance personnel inspected the downed helicopter for purpose of determining the cause and authenticity of the annunciator warning. Deemed airworthy, the aircraft took off shortly after 16:00 HST and departed in the direction of the Honolulu Airport.
The FAA is investigating this incident.
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