NTSB

Updated 1/15/20, 11:15 a.m.

HONOLULU — A person who was near a remote Hawaii site where a tour helicopter crashed and killed seven people last month told investigators that visibility was only about 20 feet (6 meters) at the time because of fog and rain, according to a preliminary accident report released Wednesday.

Bad weather and rugged terrain are preventing federal investigators from recovering the wreckage of a Kauaʻi tour helicopter that crashed last week. The pilot and all six passengers were killed.

A Hawaii tour helicopter that crashed and killed all seven people on board hit a ridge at an altitude of 2,900 feet (883 meters) then fell about 100 feet (30 meters), the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday as investigators planned how to recover the wreckage from the remote and rugged crash site.

The skydiving company that was operating a plane that crashed and killed 11 people last month did not have the proper state permits to take people skydiving.