NAPALI COAST, Hawaii — In a joint news release, the U.S. Coast Guard and County of Kauai announced they have suspended the search for the two individuals who went missing after a helicopter crashed a quarter mile off the Napali Coast on Thursday. The search was suspended at 2 p.m. Sunday.

What You Need To Know

  • The search for helicopter pilot Guy Croydon, 69, and passenger James Quintua, 60, was suspended on Sunday

  • Rescue crews searched an area covering over 830 square miles for roughly 60 hours

  • The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the cause of the crash

The two missing are helicopter pilot Guy Croydon, 69, and one of the passengers, James Quintua, 60. The other passenger, Amy Nichole Ruark Quintua, 53, was confirmed dead when her body was recovered in the ocean.

Rescue crews searched an area covering over 830 square miles for roughly 60 hours, according to the release.

“We would like to thank our Kauai County partners for their professionalism and organization, which have made this unified response very effective,” said Coast Guard Commander Kristen Hahn, search and rescue mission coordinator with Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. “While this event has been a tragedy for both the families and the community, I am reassured that our responders have been able to collect some debris and exhaust our search efforts, which may provide closure for everyone involved.”

Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami stated in the release, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of Guy Croyden and James and Amy Nichole Ruark Quintua. We are truly grateful for the committed efforts of our search and rescue teams, partnering agencies and community during this operation."

With Gov. Josh Green currently out of state, Acting Governor Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke offered her statement on the suspension of the search and rescue.

"On behalf of the State of Hawaii, I extend my deepest condolences to the ohana and loved ones of those involved in this tragic accident. Guy Croydon and James and Amy Nichole Ruark Quintua are in the thoughts and prayers of our community at this difficult time.

"For the last four days, the Coast Guard, County of Kauai, along with many of our state and federal partners led an extensive search and recovery operation. Mahalo nui loa to Mayor Kawakami for his leadership, and the rescue teams for their aloha and dedicated efforts. We remain committed to supporting the affected families in any way we can," said Luke.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the cause of the crash.

According to a County of Kauai news release Friday morning, multiple agencies are continuing search-and-recovery efforts after a helicopter crashed in waters about a quarter-mile offshore from Hanakoa Valley along the Napali Coast.

In its latest report, the county said that the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center watchstanders received a report of a helicopter crash from the Kauai Fire Department at 1:40 p.m. Thursday. Kauai Police was notified of the crash about 20 minutes prior. 

According to a preliminary report, hikers along the Kalalau Trail witnessed the Ali‘i Kaua‘i Air Tours' Robinson R44 helicopter crash into the water. The helicopter had one pilot and two passengers aboard. One person was recovered at approximately 2:25 p.m. and confirmed dead. There are two others missing. The identities of the three people have not been released. 

The company bills itself as the only Hawaiian-family-owned and -operated air tour company on Kauai, and its website said it has more than three decades of flying experience. It offers private tours by plane or helicopter.

The Federal Aviation Administration has instituted a temporary flight restriction for the search area.

“Our hearts go out to the families impacted by this tragedy. We will continue working with our partners to locate the missing individuals and provide support during this difficult time,” said Police Chief Todd Raybuck. “Our multi-agency response remains focused on the search and recovery efforts.”

According to Friday's news release, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders deployed HC-130J Super Hercules airplane crew and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, a 45-foot response boat-medium crew from Coast Guard Station Kauai and the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Gerczak, a 154-foot Sentinel-class cutter that's homeported in Honolulu. 

Kauai Ocean Safety Bureau Lifeguards embarked on jet skis from Hanalei Bay and later recovered the unresponsive individual from the water once they arrived on scene. 

KFD deployed the Air 1 helicopter crew, zodiac rescue watercraft crews, along with the Ocean Safety officers aboard jet skis.

“We are incredibly sad to hear of the life tragically lost today, and the two other individuals who are still missing after a helicopter crashed into waters off Kaua‘i’s Na Pali Coast,” said Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami. “While we do not know all the details surrounding the incident at this time, we do know that our first responders are doing everything they can in this emergency operation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all involved.”

“We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those involved in this terrible incident,” said acting Gov. Sylvia Luke. “As search and recovery operations continue, the State stands fully prepared to work in tandem with the County of Kaua‘i and our federal partners. We thank all responders and agency partners for their assistance during this difficult time.”

On Friday at 11:43 a.m., Luke signed an emeregency proclamation, which authorizes the Adjutant General to activate the Hawaii National Guard to deploy state resources, such as aviation assets as needed to respond to the crash.

Neither the Coast Guard nor the tour company returned messages left before business hours on Friday morning. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the latest crash.

Thursday's crash is the latest in a series of crashes to plague the industry in recent years.

The Federal Aviation Administration last year established a new process for air tour operators in Hawaii to be approved to fly at lower altitudes following other fatal crashes.

Tour operators can fly at 1,500 feet unless they have authorization to go lower. The FAA said it would review each operator’s safety plan before issuing permission.

The move came after three deadly crashes in 2019, including one that killed a pilot and six passengers on the Napali Coast. The NTSB blamed the crash on the pilot’s decision to continue flying in bad weather.

Three people died when a tour helicopter crashed in a Honolulu suburb, and 11 people were killed when their skydiving plane went down after takeoff on Oahu’s North Shore. Federal investigators blamed that crash on the pilot’s aggressive takeoff.

Another helicopter crashed into a remote Hawaii Island lava field during a sunset tour in June 2022, injuring the six people on board.

Anyone with information that may assist search efforts should contact Sector Honolulu at 808-842-2603.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the addition of Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke's comment and corrected spelling of the pilot's name. (July 15, 2024)