LIHU‘E — Even given Ken D’Attilio’s long resume of dramatic air rescues, his work removing two injured men from deep in Hanapepe Valley in extremely trying conditions Saturday and Sunday must rank as one of his best. The pilot and
LIHU‘E — Even given Ken D’Attilio’s long resume of dramatic air rescues, his work removing two injured men from deep in Hanapepe Valley in extremely trying conditions Saturday and Sunday must rank as one of his best.
The pilot and owner of Inter-Island Helicopters has been for several years the county and state’s go-to guy when it comes to calling in air support to rescue stranded or injured hikers, swimmers, hunters and others.
D’Attilio and rescue specialists from the Kaua‘i Fire Department Lihu‘e station braced for the worst when they arrived on the scene amid “horrendous winds” that were “really howling.”
On a steep, slippery slope they met a precariously perched crashed ultralight aircraft with two victims underneath it. The craft’s emergency parachute was entwined in a kukui tree, putting all in danger of plunging 30 to 40 feet further down the valley.
After he put the first rescue specialist near the crash site, D’Attilio had to make another pass to drop ropes so everyone could be secured to prevent them from falling, he said of the Saturday rescue that continued into Sunday.
“They were literally hanging on for dear life,” he said in an interview Wednesday.
The second victim slid down into the bog further down the valley, and D’Attilio was helpless to do anything, he said.
“I couldn’t begin to bring the helicopter to hover,” he said.
On Saturday, though, the team was able to pull out Neil Schomaker, 42, a visitor from Virginia. D’Attilio said he had a compound fracture of his leg, broken ribs and a pierced lung.
Because rescuers could not get Schomaker into a Stokes litter because of the terrain, he was lifted out in a modified rope chair, then D’Attilio landed near a waterfall in order to load Schomaker into the helicopter and bring him to Burns Field, where an awaiting American Medical Response ambulance took him to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital.
He was treated at KVMH and then airlifted to Queen’s Medical Center on O‘ahu, originally listed in stable condition, according to a county press release. A spokesperson for Queen’s Wednesday said he could not release Schomaker’s updated condition without the patient’s consent, but D’Attilio said he heard he was improving.
D’Attilio went back after dark Saturday with night-vision goggles to try to effect the rescue of Birds in Paradise pilot Tom Defino, 44, and the two rescue specialists who stayed on the ground with him, but the weather still wouldn’t cooperate.
“The first-responders had their hands full with the conditions we had on the ground,” and the weather conditions, he said.
After a sleepless night, D’Attilio and KFD Capt. Charles Metivier tried again early Sunday morning, when rain, fog and continued high wind hampered their initial efforts shortly after sunrise, D’Attilio said.
Every once in awhile, though, there was a calm period. With a piece of the ultralight’s parachute stuck to the tree serving as a wind sock, D’Attilio sensed the lull when the parachute quit moving, he said.
After dropping the Stokes litter, he had to move to a place out of the wind and wait for the next lull, when they were able to recover Defino and one of the rescue specialists.
They took Defino to a pasture on Robinson family land down Hanapepe Valley closer to Kaumuali‘i Highway, loaded him into the helicopter there, then landed at Waimea Canyon Park, where an AMR ambulance brought him to KVMH. He suffered severe head trauma, hypothermia and other injuries, D’Attilio said.
D’Attilio then returned to the valley to retrieve the other rescue specialist who spent the night with Defino at the crash site.
Defino was airlifted to Queen’s as well. A hospital spokesperson would not give an updated condition Wednesday, saying he did not have the consent from Defino to do so.
A call seeking comment from Gerry Charlebois, pilot and owner of Birds in Paradise, was not returned by press time Wednesday.
“It was quite an experience. It was a tough spot,” D’Attilio said.
He gave credit to Metivier, who spotted the parachute line that led to the rescue.
“I truly appreciate the bravery of our rescue specialists and Ken D’Attilio’s team in successfully completing these rescues,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. “We can never thank these guys enough for what they do.”
The rescue specialists who spent the night in Hanapepe Valley are Roy Constantino and Francisco Garcia. Fire apparatus operator Kalani Abreu manned the equipment.
