Pilot who miraculously escaped certain death in horror helicopter crash that killed three passengers recalls harrowing moments just seconds before disaster

By JAMES CIRRONE, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:34, 18 April 2026 | Updated: 06:36, 18 April 2026 The pilot of a tour helicopter that crashed near the Hawaiian island of Kauai last month, killing three passengers, told federal investigators the aircraft began vibrating and spinning uncontrollably before it slammed into the ocean. The pilot said that as he reached Kalalau Beach on the afternoon of March 26, he experienced a 'high frequency vibration throughout the helicopter that came in waves and became stronger each time,' according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report. The helicopter then made an 'un-commanded' right turn, the pilot said, which then escalated into two full clockwise rotations. The pilot was able to stop the aircraft from spinning by entering autorotation - a maneuver that allows the rotor to spin from the force of the air rather than from the power of the engine.  Shortly after making a mayday call, the helicopter impacted the water about 75 yards from the shoreline and rolled over onto its right side, becoming partially submerged, per the report. A total of five people, including the pilot, were aboard the helicopter as part of a sightseeing excursion. The report did not explain how the pilot and one of the passengers made it out alive, nor did it say where the surviving passenger was sitting. Both were seriously injured. Patrick Haskell, 59, Margaret Rimmler, 65, and Oksana Pihol, 40, died in the crash on the Na Pali Coast, a remote area on Kauai's North Shore only reachable by hiking or boat. The pilot of the helicopter that crashed in the ocean on March 26 near the northern coastline of Kauai, a Hawaiian island, told federal investigators that the aircraft vibrated and spun out uncontrollably before impact  Patrick Haskell, 59, and Margaret Rimmler, 65, (pictured together) were identified as two passengers who died in the accident. Oksana Pihol, a 40-year-old Ukrainian national, also died in the crash Haskell and Rimmler, a married couple, were visiting from Scituate, Massachusetts, a town just south of Boston. Pihol was a Ukrainian national. Two witnesses spoke to NTSB investigators. One was flying near the accident site and saw the helicopter hit the water. The other witness said the aircraft was intact before it crashed and broke up when it made contact with the ocean. The NTSB did not determine an official cause for the crash and said the damaged helicopter will continue to be examined in a secure facility. NTSB investigations generally take one to two years before a final report is issued. The preliminary report is simply a collection of the initial facts gathered on site.  Airborne Aviation owned the helicopter that crashed. The company does sightseeing tours of Kauai's beautiful and unique topography, which features canyons, cliffs, beaches and waterfalls. The company has a 50-minute 'doors-off thrill seekers adventure tour' that seats up to four people on its Hughes 500 helicopter, a small, lightweight aircraft. One of the tour's selling points is that the Manawaiopuna Falls was used in the 1993 film Jurassic Park.  The Na Pali Coast has also been the location of a number of similar helicopter crashes in recent years, including a fatal July 2024 crash that killed a pilot and two passengers. Months before in February 2024, another crash on the same coastline led to one injury. At least 16 people have died in helicopter crashes in Hawaii over the last seven years.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.