Disaster In Paradise

Firefighters and recovery teams on the Hawaiian island of Kauai Friday recovered the last of five bodies from the wreckage of a Bell 206-B Jet Ranger that went down on Wednesday. The crash occurred near where parts of the "Jurrasic Park" movies were filmed, an area resplendent with waterfalls and lush tropical forests.

The pilot, 45-year old Mark Lundgren, was last heard from at 9:03 a.m. Wednesday morning, when he reported lifting off from the Waialeale Crater. He didn't report any problems. Approximately three hours later, the wreckage was spotted on the side of the crater, according to an FAA investigator. Jack Harter Helicopters, which reportedly had a perfect safety record until this incident, has temporarily suspended operations. They were scheduled to resume Saturday.

Besides Lundgren, a former Navy pilot, there were two sightseeing couples on board. Jeffrey and Monica Peterson, both 33 and both from Denver (CO), and Edward J. Wadiak, 55, and his wife, Teresa M. Wadiak, 53, of Manassas (VA), died in the crash, Kauai County officials said. One woman survived for six hours on the side of the crater, but died shortly after the weather broke, allowing two pararescuers to land at the site. The Harter Bell 206-B crashed at approximately 4,300 MSL.

Complicated Extrication

 Removal of the bodies was a long, arduous process complicated by weather at what is known as the "wettest spot on Earth." The FAA reports weather at the time of the crash, however, was not severe. Visibility was rated at 10 nm, winds were moderate and cloud cover was scattered at most. Kauai Fire Battalion Chief Bob Kaden was quoted as saying conditions in the area are notorious for rapid changes with little or no notice. "The weather is very volatile," he said.

The bodies were found fairly close together, according to Kaden. The crash site was in such an inaccessible location, approximately 700 feet from the lip of the crater, that two teams of recovery workers were flown in. One landed about 1000 ft. below the crash site. The second was sent down on cables once the weather finally broke. Even then, two recovery workers were stranded on the mountain for several hours Thursday.

FAA spokesman Don Walker told reporters Jack Harter Helicopters had a clean safety record, "a very conscientious operator." Likewise, Lundgren, who'd been flying for Harter since 1995, also had a clean record, according to the FAA.

For The Record...

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 37741        Make/Model: B206      Description: BELL 206B HELICOPTER
  Date: 07/23/2003     Time: 1900

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: LIHUE   State: HI   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  N37741, BELL BH206B HELICOPTER, OPERATED BY JACK HARTER HELICOPTERS,
  CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE WAIALEALI  CRATER ON THE ISLAND
  OF KAUAI, FIVE PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, THE AIRCRAFT WAS
  DESTROYED, LIHUE, HI

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   5
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:    4     Fat:   4     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:          Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: UNK

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Aerial Observation      Phase: Unknown      Operation: Air Taxi (On Demand)

  Departed: LIHUE, HI                   Dep Date: 07/23/2003   Dep. Time: 1803
  Destination: LIHUE, HI                Flt Plan: NONE         Wx Briefing: Y
  Last Radio Cont: DEPARTING LIH APPROX 1803
  Last Clearance: TAKE OFF CLEARANCE

  FAA FSDO: HONOLULU, HI  (WP13)                  Entry date: 07/24/2003

FMI: www.helicopters-kauai.com