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Officials: Hawaii Tour Helicopter Makes Hard Landing, Rolls

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PAHOA, Hawaii — U.S. authorities say a tour helicopter made a hard landing and rolled over Thursday in Hawaii.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said he had no immediate reports of injuries. The helicopter went down in a mostly rural part of the Big Island, and a rescue helicopter was trying to find it in an inaccessible area, officials in Hawaii said.

Initial reports were six people were on board, the FAA said.

“A Eurocopter EC130 was conducting an air tour when the aircraft experienced engine problems,” Gregor said in an email. The pilot made a precautionary landing and the aircraft rolled over, he said.

The helicopter had departed from Hilo International Airport, the FAA said.

The agency says it will investigate the incident in an area where lava bubbled up for months in 2018 and destroyed more than 700 homes as it covered miles of land. The eruption of the Kilauea volcano created miles of new shoreline and filled an entire bay with molten rock.

It comes after a tour helicopter crashed in December, killing all seven people aboard on another Hawaiian island, Kauai.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers.
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