• Helicopter fatalities • Election comments Helicopter fatalities Because the Monday issue of The Garden Island’s article about the helicopter crash and on-going recovery operations quote operators as stating that their operations are safe, a review of the fatalities from
• Helicopter fatalities
• Election comments
Helicopter fatalities
Because the Monday issue of The Garden Island’s article about the helicopter crash and on-going recovery operations quote operators as stating that their operations are safe, a review of the fatalities from sightseeing helicopter operations just on Kaua‘i, and just since ‘Iniki, sheds a lot more objective light on the subject.
Except for Friday’s crash, all data following are from the National Transportation Safety Board’s Web site. I include the NTSB investigation case number with each, which can easily be verified at www.ntsb.gov.
1. Friday’s crash, 4 passengers and 1 pilot virtually certainly fatals.
2. July 23, 2003, Jack Harter Helicopers, 4 passengers and 1 pilot (chief pilot) fatal. NTSB Case LAX03FA241
3. June 25, 1998, Ohana Helicopters, 5 passengers and 1 pilot fatal. NTSB Case LAX98FA211
4. July 14, 1994, Papillon Helicopters, 2 passengers and 1 pilot fatal. NTSB case FTW94MA235
That is 14 fatalities in 10 years; 11 paid tourists and 3 paid operators.
Does any other paid tourist adventure on Kauai approach that level of fatalities since 1994?
I think not.
Wally Roberts
Election comments
In response to the 9/16 TGI, most Veterans do not consider Candidate Kerry’s 1971 procommunist comments to be (defending). Perhaps this writer should view the movie (Stolen Valor) instead of Fahrenheit 911 to acquaint himself with the true facts. Apparently he believes anyone who didn’t serve in Vietnam is a (wanderer). Conversely, serving four months and receiving undeserved medals from self-inflicted wounds makes a hero!
The huge bounty on Osama and the fact that he can never effectively command again, makes it irrelevant to speculate on which cave he’s hiding in, because he has no power! Al Qaida cells are on autopilot and not because we stopped Afghani or Iraqi terrorist.
What difference does it make where the WMD’s went? Mass graves containing 300,000 Iraqis with an estimate of 1.5 million people missing and presumed dead is proof that they existed. Suffice it to say that Saddam’s policy of paying $25,000 to each suicide bomber’s family is compelling evidence of that strong connection.
Michael Moore minions have forgotten that it was President Clinton who single handedly undercut and dismantled our National Security. In 1998, Slick Willy managed to warn us of impending doom if we continued to ignore Saddam and do nothing about his looming threat.
Yes war has a tragic cost in money and lives and if we do nothing as Clinton’s legacy reflects, we become vulnerable and pay the price later. We now face a national handicap created by an ineffective previous Democratic administration and are playing catch-up.
Robert Louis
Kapa’a
