Iao Valley, HI Helicopter Crash, July 2000

HAWAII TOUR COPTER CRASHES ON MAUI.

Wailuku, Hawaii -- (AP) -- A tour helicopter on a sightseeing flight crashed Friday on the island of Maui, killing all seven people aboard, the company's owner said.
The Blue Hawaiian Helicopters AS355 twin-engine aircraft was reported missing after it failed to return from a 35-minute tour of the rugged west Maui mountains.
The wreckage was found in a valley near the chopper's last known radar fix, said Wil Absher of the Coast Guard's Joint Coordination Rescue Center in Honolulu.
"We're crushed, we're devastated, and our hearts go out to the families," said Patti Chevalier, who owns the tour company with her husband, Dave, a former Vietnam scout pilot.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Jacquelyn Zettles said there were low clouds at the time of the crash. Those are normal conditions for the lush, misty valley that is home to Iao Needle, a grassy, narrow mountain that is a popular tourist attraction.
List of Casualties:
LARRY KIRSCH, 55, pilot, Kihei, Hawaii.
WHITNEY WOOD, 14, Burleson, Texas.
NATALIE PRINCE, 14, Fort Worth, Texas.
WILLIAM JORDAN, 51, Shrewsbury, N.J.
JAN HERSCOVITZ, his wife, Shrewsbury, N.J.
MAX JORDAN, 17, their son, Shrewsbury, N.J.
LINSEY JORDAN, 16, their daughter, Shrewsbury, N.J.

Santa Fe New Mexican 2000-07-22
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!