Police Confirm No Survivors in Kauaʻi Helicopter Crash

Nāpali Coast. PC: File courtesy DLNR.

Due to the impact damage of a helicopter crash in steep terrain in the remote Kōkeʻe area of Kauaʻi on Thursday, police confirmed Saturday that there are no survivors. 

According to preliminary reports from a flight manifest, Kaua‘i police believe the pilot to be 69-year-old Paul Matero of Wailua and two of the passengers to be 47-year-old Amy Gannon and 13-year-old Jocelyn Gannon of Madison, Wisconsin.

The four other passengers are believed to be a family from Switzerland—a 50-year-old female, 49-year-old male, 13-year-old female and a 10-year old female. Their names have not yet been released.

Autopsies to positively confirm all identities are still pending.

“We offer our continued condolences and prayers to the families and friends of the victims,” Kauaʻi Police Departmet assistant chief Bryson Ponce said in a press release.

“As we continue to search for and recover evidence pertinent to this tragic helicopter crash, we hope to bring some sense of closure to the loved ones of the victims.”

Recovery efforts were suspended Saturday afternoon.

The scene has been turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board for further investigation.