Event WPR16LA175

Factual narrative

On September 2, 2016, about 0945 Hawaii-Aleutian standard time, a McDonnell Douglas 500N helicopter, N5232G, was involved in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii. The pilot, one crewmember and a passenger were not injured. One crewmember was seriously injured. The helicopter was not damaged. The helicopter was being operated as a public aircraft. The pilot reported that, after being dispatched to a hiker in distress, he took off from the airport and flew towards the hiking trail lookout where fire department personnel were already present. He flew over the lookout and surveyed the area, observing a utility pole on the east side of the lookout. In addition, he estimated the wind was about 10-20 knots from the east. The pilot landed the helicopter in a nearby landing zone and prepared the helicopter for a rescue net extraction. The pilot then took off and after flying to the injured hiker, the long line was extended to about 75-100 ft and the injured hiker and a firefighter climbed into the net. The pilot reported that as the helicopter started to ascend, a strong gust of wind unexpectedly caused the helicopter to ascend too quickly and move laterally toward the utility pole. The pilot attempted to stop the swing of the long line, but the net impacted the utility pole. The firefighter was electrocuted and fell from the net about 20 ft to the ground. At the time of the accident, the Hawaiian Islands were under the influence of the tropical easterly winds and under a Hurricane Watch. The surface observations indicated northeast winds of 14-20 knots with peak gusts of 28 knots during the time surrounding the accident. The northeast winds would produce downslope conditions and unfavorable conditions in the Diamond Head area. The National Weather Service had an AIRMET for moderate turbulence below 10,000 ft to the lee of higher terrain due to the stronger winds. The closest upper air sounding taken in the hour indicated little change in wind direction with height and wind speeds of 30 knots immediately above the surface. In the operator's "Technical Rescue Standard Operating Guidelines" it states "Team members and the pilot shall agree that the area they are being inserted into is safe and free of obstructions…" The helicopter pilot reported that, during a rescue operation to extract a hiker in distress, he flew to a hiking trail lookout where fire department personnel were already present. He observed a utility pole on the east side of the lookout and estimated the wind was about 10-20 kts from the east. The pilot landed the helicopter in a nearby landing zone and prepared the helicopter for a rescue net extraction. The pilot then took off and lowered the rescue net from the 75-100-ft-long line to the injured hiker and firefighter. After they both climbed into the net, the helicopter started to ascend; a strong gust of wind unexpectedly caused the helicopter to ascend too quickly and move laterally toward the utility pole. The pilot attempted to stop the swing of the long line, but the net impacted the utility pole. The firefighter was electrocuted and fell from the net about 20 ft to the ground, which resulted in serious injury. At the time of the accident, the Hawaiian Islands were under the influence of tropical easterly winds, and a hurricane watch had been issued. The surface observations indicated northeast winds of 14-20 kts with peak gusts of 28 kts during the time surrounding the accident. It is likely that the northeast winds produced unfavorable wind conditions over the terrain at the lookout. The operator's "Technical Rescue Standard Operating Guidelines" states, in part, that "[t]eam members and the pilot shall agree that the area they are being inserted into is safe and free of obstructions…" Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Pole-Effect on operation - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation - C
• F Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - F
• F Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Other/unknown - F