On the Jagged Edge I’ve flown all across the Hawaiian Islands over the years—about 10 years in total. I started flying in Hawaii again with Paradise Helicopters in Kona on May 15, 2022. Te accident hap- pened three and a half weeks later, on Jun. 8. I wasn’t on the schedule to fly, but a friend had asked if I could cover for him. Te last of my four flights that day was a
sunset flight, where passengers “ooh and aah” over volcanoes, valleys, and waterfalls. Typically, we depart Kona International Airport (PHKO) about two and a half hours before sunset and, if the weather and timing are right, we end up back in Kona on the west side of the island where the sun sets over the bay. It’s quite picturesque. It was an easy day to fly. Te weather was
clear with light winds. Two groups were on that flight—a brother and sister who had rescheduled from earlier in the week because of weather and a father with his twin daughters, who had just turned 18. About 20 minutes in, we were flying over
a very remote, uneven part of the island that’s covered for miles with reddish ‘a‘ā lava flows. Tat’s where we crash-landed. Getting out of the aircraft to a safe distance away was a hurdle because the lava is sharp and virtually impos- sible to walk on.
After everyone was out safely, the brother
used a rotor-blade tiedown to create a sling for my broken arm. I’m 6 ft. 5, 220 lb. It took the two guys to help me get away from the helicopter. While we waited for a rescue chopper, Paradise Helicopters followed its emergency protocols and circled overhead.
The Fallout In an interview with investigators, one of the
Increasing Your Odds How to improve the likelihood of surviving an accident.
■ Practice emergency maneuvers so you’re ready—and do this on a regular basis so those skills are fresh
■ Beef up your skills in simulator training—it’s a good place to practice emergency maneuvers too dangerous to do in an actual aircraft
■ Encourage others to brush up on their emergency procedures too, especially if you will be relying on them for assistance during the actual event
■ Ask for help when you need it—it’s important to work through anything that is holding you back from becoming proficient in emergency procedures.
■ And most importantly: If an incident does happen, don’t stop flying the aircraft. Don’t give up—continue to aviate, navigate, and communicate, in that order. Tim Hunter’s actions during this accident—which lessened the severity of the impact, reduced the likelihood of fire, and saved lives— demonstrate how a crew’s actions up to the moment of impact and beyond can make a difference in the outcome.
passengers said they saw something fly off the machine as it was spinning. Turns out, it was the tail boom! It had separated from the fuselage midair, and they found it more than 700 ft. away, mostly intact. In its final report, the NTSB concluded that
the tail boom likely fell off the aircraft because of abnormal loading and fracture of an attach- ment bolt due to a gap between the upper-left longeron and the aft fuselage bulkhead. Following the issuance of the report, NTSB
Board Member Michael Graham commented on my terrifying ordeal. “Hearing Tim recount his harrowing story is remarkable. I am thankful Tim and all five passengers survived this terrible accident. No pilot should ever have to experience a violent in-flight separation of a tail boom,” Graham said. “To prevent this accident from occurring again, the NTSB has issued recommendations to both the FAA and Transport Canada.” After the accident, I remember being put
into the rescue helicopter. I could see the pilot—a friend of mine—crying before he flew me to the waiting ambulance. I spent most of the transport time in excruciating pain. I woke up in the hospital’s intensive care
unit (ICU). I remember asking the doctors and staff about the passengers. Instead of answering my question, they told me only about my injuries—a broken back, a shattered
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