State seeks payments from Ohana Helicopters

The present, and future, of Ohana Helicopters, is something of a mystery.

State Department of Transportation Airports Division officials went to Lihu‘e District Court late last week to seek delinquent payments from Ohana Helicopters officials, but no representatives of the company showed up, said DOT spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

“We wanted to file, they didn’t appear,” he said.

Ishikawa said owners of the helicopter company are six months behind in their payment plan, adding that Ohana Helicopters leaders already had an existing debt.

The DOT officials were not able to provide information on how much money Ohana leaders owed the state in usage fees.

There was no answer when the Ohana Helicopters’ listed telephone number was called, and there was no answering machine attached to that line.

Phone calls to an employee’s home number also went unanswered.

According to an employee at the Anchor Cove Shopping Center management office, helicopter-company leaders and owners left their office space at the building.

Donn Walker, manager of communications and media relations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said Ohana Aviation, doing business as Ohana Helicopters, still has a valid FAA operating certificate.

The company has had some bad breaks lately.

Six people, including pilot Charles Lowe, were killed in a 1998 Ohana Helicopters crash at Mount Wai‘ale‘ale crater.

Most recently, on Feb. 21, the “vertical fin of an Aerospatiale AS350BA (helicopter) contacted terrain while hovering in an aft direction at Lihu‘e,” according to information from officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The pilot and four passengers were not injured, but the helicopter sustained substantial damage, according to a NTSB spokesperson. The purpose of the flight was to take photographs for Norwegian Cruise Line, according to NTSB information.