The Saga of the Kamehameha and the Becket (1829) Tsunami Strikes Hilo (1837) The Sinking of the Paalua (1845) Hurricane Hits Maui (1850) Mauna Loa Eruptions (1852) The Wreck of the Steamship West Point (1856) Local Earthquake Causes Landslide and Tsunami (1868) The Shipwreck of the U.S.S. Saginaw (1870) Hurricane Hits Islands (1871) Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island (1877) Eruption Threatens Hilo, Princess Responds (1880) Fire Engulfs Chinatown (1886) Balloon Flight is Hawai‘i’s First Air Fatality (1889) 1900-1990 Second Fire Devastates Chinatown (1900) Hawai‘i’s First Airplane Crash (1911) Submarine Sinks in Pearl Harbor (1915) Seven Ships Set Afire in Honolulu Harbor (1916) Hawai‘i’s First Aviation Fatality (1918) Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island and Maui (1923) Crater Erupts (1924) First Civilian Trans-Pacific Flight Crashes (1927) Disaster at Dole Air Derby (1927) Torrential Rains Break Dam (1930) Army Bombs Lava Flow (1930) Elephant Attacks Trainer (1933) Japanese Planes Attack Pearl Harbor (1941) Japanese Submarine Attacks Army Ship (1942) The Battle of Midway Atoll (1942) Shipwreck at Midway (1944) Ammunition Explosions Take Lives (1944) Bomber Planes Collide (1944) Plane Crashes into Ocean (1944) Plane Disappears, Memorial Built (1945) April Fools Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island (1946) Mauna Loa Eruption Destroys Homes (1950) Military Air Transport Crashes (1955) Tsunami Strikes Kaua‘i (1957) Air Force Bomber Hits Mountain (1957) Hurricane Nina Strikes (1957) Hurricane Dot Hits Kaua‘i (1959) Kīlauea Volcano Erupts at Summit (1959) Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island (1960) Sigma 7 Spacecraft Plunges into Pacific (1962) Tsunami Strikes Islands of Hawai‘i and Maui (1964) Frank Sinatra Rescued on Kaua‘i (1964) Moon Walkers Arrive in Pearl Harbor (1969) Kīlauea Eruption Pours into Sea (1971) Earthquake Shakes Hilo (1973) Tsunami Strikes Halapē on Hawai‘i Island (1975) Hurricane ‘Iwa Brings 100 m.p.h. Winds (1982) Kīlauea Volcano Begins Current Eruption (1983) Mauna Loa Eruption Threatens Hilo (1984) Man Killed at Hālona Blowhole (1986) Hurricane Estelle Strikes Islands (1986) Woman Sucked Out of Plane (1988) 1990s Lava Flow Buries Kalapana (1990) Shark Attacks Woman (1991) Bodyboarder Disappears, Board Bitten (1992) Helicopter Crashes on Haleakalā (1992) Hurricane ‘Iniki Slams Kaua‘i (1992) Helicopter Crashes on Haleakalā (1992) Shark Attacks Bodyboarder (1992) Helicopter Crashes (1993) Lava Shelf Collapse Claims Victim (1993) Helicopter Crashes into Ocean (1993) Elephant Goes on Rampage (1994) Plane Crashes in ‘Īao Valley (1995)
Waterfall Jump Fatal (1995)
Shark Attacks Surfer (1997) Man Killed in Slide Down Lava Cone (1998)
Helicopter Crashes in Crater of Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale (1998)
Shark Bites Swimmer (1999)
Honeymooner Attacked by Shark (1999)
Landslide at Sacred Falls (1999) Plane Crashes on Mauna Loa (1999) Jet Crashes on Moloka‘i (2000) Helicopter Crashes at the Base of ‘Īao Valley (2000) Helicopter Crashes in ‘Īao Valley (2000) Shark Bites Windsurfer (2000) Eight Survive, One Dies in Plane Crash (2000) Shark Bites Snorkeler (2000) Two Boys Survive Being Swept Downstream (2000)
Volcanic Gasses Kill Two (2000)
2001 Golf Ball Injures Baseball Player
Submarine Crashes into Fishing Boat
Breaching Whale Lands on Tourist
Soldiers Die in Crash of Black Hawk Helicopters
Shark Bites Bodyboarder
Woman Falls into Lava Tube
Diver Lost and Found at Sea
Shark Bites Surfer’s Hand Pit Bulls Attack Horse Five Survive Plane Crash in Ocean off Hāmākua Coast
Plane Crashes on Lāna‘i
Man Attempts Swim to Ni‘ihau
Three Survive 80-Foot Descent at Waterfall
Man Chasing Hat Falls Into Volcano
Five Survive Fiery Helicopter Crash Shark Bites Man’s Surfboard Fatal Fall on Maui 2002 Shark Bites Snorkeler Angel’s Trumpet Flower Causes Incoherent Babbling Human Leg Found on Reef Truck Goes Off Waipi‘o Cliff Geyser Takes Life Kayaker Adrift for Four Days is Rescued Shark Bites Boy 100-Foot Fall into Lava Tube Injures Rescue Worker Five Rescued from Lava Tube Shark Bites Surfboard Shark Bites Woman’s Foot Shark Bites Woman’s Arm 2003 Man Survives 200-Foot Fall Down Cliff Student Pilot Crashes on Moloka‘i Flash Flood Sweeps Away Man and Daughter Marlin Spears Whale Researcher Shark Bites Swimmer’s Leg Load Line Causes Helicopter Crash Four Rescued from Sea Cave Helicopter Crashes at Volcanoes National Park Jellyfish Invade O‘ahu Beaches Dolphins Flee as Shark Bites Man’s Foot Solar Aircraft Crashes into Ocean Helicopter Crashes on Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale 360 Swimmers Rescued in Roughwater Competition Shark Bites Woman’s Arm Barracuda Bites Man’s Arm Plane Crashes Offshore of Maui 2004 Man Survives Plane Crash in Ocean Surfer Dies in Banzai Pipeline Wipeout Shaking Baffles Kaua‘i Residents Three Perish in Air Ambulance Crash Two Swept Off Shoreline Rocks Shark Kills Maui Surfer Wave Sweeps Away Man at Olivine Pools Three Survive Plane Crash on Lava Field Jellyfish Sting Hundreds in Waikīkī Shallow Water Blackout Kills Two Monk Seal Bites Man on Rear Falling Rock Kills Ranger Helicopter Crashes on Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale Shark Bites Spearfisher Boat Capsizes, Killing Two Plane Crashes on Haleakalā Pilot Ditches Second Plane in Five Years Surf Photographer Dies at Banzai Pipeline Shark Rams Surfboard Chute Malfunction Kills Skydiver Boulder Smashes into Home Glider Crash Kills One, Two Survive Mother and Infant Survive Cliff Plunge Shark Bites Surfboard Needlefish Impales Man Airplane Crashes on Haleakalā Surfer Dies at Banzai Pipeline Shark Attacks Swimmer
Incidents of Disaster and Survival in the Hawaiian Islands
Preface
The remote location of the Hawaiian Islands, as well as the diverse geographical features and often unpredictable weather, create many dangerous situations. In this book there are stories of bravery and incredible courage, and remarkable tales of survival despite great odds. Many of the events involve great tragedy, loss of life, and profound heartbreak for families and loved ones. For adventurous persons active in the Hawaiian Islands today, these accounts will serve as a reminder to avoid perilous situations. Many stories of survival are inspiring, revealing the importance of inner strength and fortitude. Names are not mentioned in respect of those who have perished, yet this book is a tribute to all the unfortunate souls mentioned here, as well as those who survived.
Introduction The Hawaiian Islands are a place of spectacular beauty, but sometimes that beauty comes at a price. Many natural forces are at work in the Islands—earthquakes wrack and topple buildings, volcanic eruptions and landslides bury homes, tsunamis wash away whole villages, and hurricanes devastate whole islands. The plenteous rain in the Hawaiian Islands keeps the islands green and the waterfalls flowing, yet the rains make rivers rise rapidly and bring floods that sweep many to their deaths. Steep and treacherous terrain claims the lives of hikers, hunters, and other mountain adventurers. The ocean surrounding the Hawaiian Islands is a source of great enjoyment for fishermen, and beachgoers, yet it cuts short hundreds of lives, and many vanish without a trace. Big waves and strong currents make ocean rescues commonplace, but the lifeguards can’t be everywhere, and over the decades many hundreds of visitors and residents have drowned, including 71 in 2004. Sharks are another worry for swimmers, surfers, bodyboarders, snorkelers, and scuba divers. Since 1779 there have been more than 117 documented shark attacks on humans in Hawaiian waters. Various other ocean creatures have also bitten people—eels, marlins, barracudas, and monk seals, to name a few. Some brave Hawaiian souls have perished in the midst of heroism. Eddie Aikau paddled his surfboard toward Lāna‘i from the overturned Hōkūle‘a voyaging canoe to seek help for his stranded crewmates—the crew was rescued but Eddie Aikau was never seen again. This book recounts that story and many other stories of disaster and survival in the Hawaiian Islands.
Eruption Kills Warriors In 1790 on Hawai‘i Island, the chief Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula and his warriors headed for Ka‘ū after plundering the Waipi‘o, Kohala, and Waimea lands of the rising warrior Kamehameha. As they passed over an area near Kīlauea Volcano, a chance eruption at the volcanically active area now known as Halema‘uma‘u Fire Pit spewed ash and poisonous gasses over many of Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula’s group. The volcanic explosion of Halema‘uma‘u rained down hot cinders along with a thick shroud of acidic smoke that burned and suffocated many of Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula’s people, killing warriors as well as women and children. Footprints visible at the site are said to be from the event but others dispute this claim.
The Battle of Nu‘uanu In April of 1795, the rising warrior Kamehameha set sail from Moloka‘i to invade O‘ahu. Kamehameha had about 960 canoes as well as 20 armed foreign ships, cannons, and an estimated 16,000 soldiers. Allied against Kamehameha were the forces of O‘ahu’s chief Kalanikūpule, an estimated 9,000 warriors, along with more warriors led by the chief Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula [Ka‘iana], who had deserted Kamehameha.
Kamehameha’s troops landed on O‘ahu’s southern shores from Waikīkī to Wai’alae and marched to Nu‘uanu where they overpowered the O‘ahu forces. Many of the fleeing warriors climbed the sides of Nu‘uanu Valley, while others retreated up to the head of the valley and were confronted by Kamehameha’s soldiers at the precipitous edge of the pali (cliff). Many O‘ahu warriors were either driven over the edge of the cliff or jumped, meeting their death on the rocks hundreds of feet below.[i]
[Illustration: Nu‘uanu Pali battle scene]
Overall, it is estimated that as many as 10,000 warriors (from both sides) died in the Battle of Nu‘uanu, making the confrontation the deadliest event ever in the Hawaiian Islands, including Pearl Harbor. The defeated chief Kalanikūpule was eventually captured, killed, and presented to Kamehameha who offered the body as a sacrifice to his war god Kūkā‘ilimoku.
The Battle of Nu‘uana was Kamehameha’s final major military conquest, giving him control of all of the Hawaiian Islands except Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, which were ceded to him in 1810.
Shipwreck on Barbers Point On October 31, 1796, the snow Arthur, a British brig from Bengal under the command of Captain Henry Barber, left Honolulu Harbor and was headed for Kaua‘i for a load of yams before traveling on to China. About two hours after leaving Honolulu Harbor, the Arthur hit a coral shoal near the point known as Kalaeloa (“The long point”), and breaking waves drove the ship over the reef and toward shore. Six of ship’s 22 crew members died as they struggled to launch small boats. The rest of the crew, including Barber, were able to reach shore near the point on the southwest tip of O‘ahu. The wreck of the Arthurwas later salvaged by John Young (‘Olohana), an adviser to King Kamehameha, who mounted ten cannons from the ship in front of his house. Kalaeloa Point was later renamed Barbers Point.[ii]
Volcanoes Erupt In 1800-1801, Hualālai Volcano erupted above Ka‘ūpūlehu at an elevation of about 5,750 feet and sent lava flows to the ocean. Historic eruptions of Hualālai include three eruptions between 800 and 1100, an eruption around 1300. Both Mauna Kea and Hualālai Volcanoes are considered dormant but not extinct. The towering Mauna Kea Volcano rises up more than six miles from the ocean bottom, and 13,796 feet above sea level. Measured from base to summit, Mauna Kea is more than 1,000 feet taller than Mount Everest, which is the tallest mountain on Earth measured from sea level. Mauna Kea’s last eruption occurred about 4,500 years ago.
Carpenter Survives Shipwreck In April of 1822, the brig Hermes, a whaling ship on the way to Japan, ran aground in the leeward Hawaiian Islands on what is now called Pearl and Hermes Reef. Carpenter James Robinson built a schooner from the wreckage and then sailed back to the main Hawaiian Islands. Robinson later remained in the Islands and became a prominent pioneer shipbuilder.
Royal Shipwreck in Hanalei Bay On April 5, 1824, King Kamehameha II’s royal ship, the Ha‘aheo o Hawai‘i (Prince of Hawai‘i) became shipwrecked at the mouth of the Wai‘oli River in Hanalei Bay. Built in 1816 in Salem, Massachusetts, the vessel was the first ocean-going yacht in the United States built solely for pleasure rather than commerce or war.[iii] Thousands of visitors came to see it being built in the Salem harbor. The vessel cost about $50,000 to build and another $50,000 to furnish, measuring 100 feet along its deck and 83 feet long at its waterline. The ship had five staterooms, a large forecastle, and mahogany paneling inlaid with fine woods. In November of 1820, King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho) purchased Cleopatra’s Barge for the promise of an amount of sandalwood totaling 8,000 piculs (sandalwood was selling for $10 per picul). The king renamed the ship Ha‘aheo o Hawai‘i (Pride of Hawai‘i) and used it as a royal pleasure craft, ship-of-state, merchant vessel, and for interisland travels. In 1824, King Kamehameha II was away on a journey to England with Queen Kamāmalu, when a royal crew sailed the Ha‘aheo o Hawai‘i to Hanalei, Kaua‘i where it wrecked on the reef. A few days later a salvage attempt was made by Hawaiians using rope tied to the base of the main mast,[iv] but the mast broke and the salvage efforts came to an end. In 1995, marine archaeologists rediscovered the ship beneath the sand at the mouth of the Wai‘oli Stream. Recovered artifacts included poi pounders, a calabash gourd, a quartered whale’s tooth, gold-laced beads, an ivory ring, and many items that may have been part of King Kamehameha II’s wardrobe. American-made artifacts included a leather holster, a block and tackle (with rope), and musket balls.[v] Chinese artifacts recovered from the shipwreck included ceramics and tableware. During the last days of the 1996 recovery work, large sections of the ship’s hull were discovered.
The Saga of the Kamehameha and the Becket On December 2, 1829, the ships Kamehameha and Becket left the Hawaiian Islands in search of sandalwood in the South Pacific (New Hebrides). The ships were outfitted by Boki (Kamā‘ule‘ule), who was Governor of O‘ahu under King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho). The Kamehameha and Becket became separated somewhere near the Fiji group. Then the Kamehameha perished in a fire apparently started by someone who was smoking and accidentally ignited gunpowder in the hold. The crew of 250 died, along with Boki. The crew of the Becket, decimated by disease and other mishaps, finally returned to Honolulu on August 3, 1830 with just 20 survivors.
Tsunami Strikes Hilo On November 7, 1837, a earthquake in Chile generated a tsunami that made its way toward the Hawaiian Islands. In Kahului, Maui the beach mysteriously began to drain away, and people rushed out to pick up stranded fish. Minutes later a tsunami arrived. People, livestock, canoes, and the village’s 26 grass houses were all swept inland and deposited in a small lake. In Hilo, 100 houses were destroyed. In all, at least 15 people in the Hawaiian Islands were killed.
The Sinking of the Paalua The Paalua was built by Frenchman John Bernard, who grew coffee in Hanalei, Kaua‘i with British subject Godfrey Rhodes after they obtained a 50-year Government lease of 150 acres of land near the Hanalei River in 1842. In 1845, Bernard was returning from Honolulu on the schooner, Paalua when the ship sank off of Hanalei Bay in a heavy squall just a few hundred yards from shore. Bernard and several others died. Several Hawaiians on the boat were able to swim to shore.
Hurricane Hits Maui In 1850, an unnamed storm, likely a hurricane, hit Lahaina, Maui. The hurricane destroyed an estimated 100 homes including the king’s palace, and killed at least five people aboard the ship Sophia.
Mauna Loa Eruptions In 1852, a Mauna Loa lava flow came within seven miles of Hilo. In 1868, a lava flow from Mauna Loa Volcano entered the Pacific Ocean to the west of South Point in Kā‘ū. The volcanic activity also formed the 240-foot high littoral cone known as Pu‘uhou (“New hill”[vi]). In 1877 lava from Mauna Loa’s summit crater flowed through the Kona district and into the sea near Ka‘awaloa. Mauna Loa Volcano is the most massive mountain on Earth, rising 13,677 feet above sea level, and descending another 18,000 feet below the sea. Mauna Loa’s total size is about 10,000 cubic miles, making it more than 100 times as large as Washington’s Mount Rainier. In the last 1,100 years, Mauna Loa’s eruptions have poured lava over some 1,000 square miles, which is about half of the volcano’s total land area. Mauna Loa has erupted 37 times since 1832, and 14 times in the last 100 years. Moku‘āweoweo, the summit caldera of Mauna Loa, is about three miles long, 1½ miles wide, and 600 feet deep, having filled in somewhat from its depth of more than 985 feet in 1794.
The Wreck of the Steamship West Point In 1856, the steamship West Point was carrying a cargo of oranges when it wrecked on the rocks in a squall while leaving port at Kōloa, Kaua‘i. This was the first wreck of a steamship in the Hawaiian Islands.
Local Earthquake Causes Landslide and Tsunami
On April 2, 1868, an earthquake estimated to have a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale struck the south end of Hawai‘i Island. The quake caused a giant mudslide that killed hundreds of people and buried a small village, destroying nearly every European-style home in the Ka‘ū district.
The 1868 earthquake also generated what is known as a localized tsunami. Water reportedly surged ashore high enough to cover the tops of coconut trees, at least 60 feet high at some spots along the Ka‘ū coast. The ancient village of ‘Āpua in Puna on Hawai‘i Island was swept away. The localized tsunami killed 48 people.
The Shipwreck of the U.S.S. Saginaw (1870) On October 30, 1870, the U.S.S. Saginaw ran aground in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands on the eastern reef of Kure Atoll, about 1,000 miles northwest of Kaua‘i. Waves smashed the ship in two, and the crew of 93 crawled over the fallen main mast to Kure’s lagoon where they survived by drinking rainwater and eating seals and birds. The crew eventually decked-over the Saginaw’s 22-foot gig (a captain’s boat), and then fitted and provisioned the small vessel, and five of the crew members sailed for help on November 18, 1870. Storm-tossed and weather-beaten, the crew lost their oars and their provisions were ruined by ocean water. The captain of the tiny craft caught dysentery. The small vessel foundered off of Hanalei Bay 31 days later with the exhausted crew, and was rolled over by the rough ocean swell. Two of the crew members were swept away by waves and drowned. The captain, drenched in his heavy clothing, held onto the hull for a short time, but soon lost hold and also perished. By sunrise the tiny craft had drifted down the coast to Kalihiwai where coxswain William Halford made it to shore, also pulling to shore the other survivor, who then died on the beach. King Kalākaua was soon informed of the situation, and promptly dispatched the vessel Kīlauea to Kure. On January 3, 1871, the stranded crew of the U.S.S. Saginaw was rescued. In August of 2003, marine archaeologists diving in a reef channel at Kure discovered the wreck of the 155-foot Saginaw. The divers identified the vessel after finding a series of metal artifacts including large iron anchors and heavily encrusted cannons.
Hurricane Hits Islands On August 9, 1871, an unnamed hurricane hit the islands of Hawai‘i, Maui, and Moloka‘i. The hurricane caused an estimated $10,000 in damage and destroyed about 150 houses.
Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island On May 9, 1877, a large earthquake occurred near Peru, generating a tsunami that arrived in Hilo before dawn. The tsunami destroyed 37 houses and killed five people. Many more were injured.
Eruption Threatens Hilo, Princess Responds
In 1880, a lava flow from Mauna Loa Volcano took 280 days to reach the edge of Hilo, causing great concern. King Kamehameha’s granddaughter, Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani, traveled to the area and offered chants and gifts. This is said to have supplicated the wrath of the volcano goddess Pele, and the lava flows stopped just on the edge of town.
Fire Engulfs Chinatown In 1886, a three-day fire engulfed eight blocks of Honolulu’s Chinatown district and burned the homes of 7,000 Chinese and 350 Hawaiians, causing about $1.5 million in damage.
Balloon Flight is First Air Fatality in the Hawaiian Islands On November 2, 1889, Joseph Van Tassel completed the first successful manned hot-air balloon flight in the Hawaiian Islands. Taking off from O‘ahu’s Kapi‘olani Park, Van Tassel ascended to an altitude of one mile and then parachuted back to Earth. Less than three weeks later, on November 18, Van Tassel attempted the same thing from Punchbowl, but drowned when winds blew him off course and he landed in Ke‘ehi Lagoon. This was the first air fatality in the Hawaiian Islands.
Second Fire Devastates Chinatown On January 20, 1900, a fire was intentionally set in the Chinatown area of Honolulu, at the corner of Nu‘uanu and Beretania, to rid the area of disease-infected tenement homes harboring the bubonic plague. The fire accidentally got out of control and burned more than 38 acres, displacing more than 4,000 residents. The fire burned for at least 17 days.
First Airplane Crash in the Hawaiian Islands On June 10, 1911, the first airplane crash in the Hawaiian Islands occurred when Clarence Walker hit a hala tree in Hilo. The pilot survived.[vii]
Submarine Sinks in Pearl Harbor On March 25, 1915, the Navy submarine F-4 sank in Honolulu Harbor, killing the 21-man crew. The submarine was one of four based in the Hawaiian Islands.
Seven Ships Set Afire in Honolulu Harbor On February 4, 1916 in Honolulu Harbor, the crews of seven interned steamships, including the German cruiser Geier, set their vessels on fire to prevent them from being used by the United States military. Officially the United States was still neutral in the war, which began in Europe in 1914. On April 6, 1917 the United States declared war on Germany.
First Aviation Fatality in the Hawaiian Islands On November 19, 1918, a Corporal in the Fort Kamehameha Aero Squadron was flying a plane when he suddenly went into a tailspin that caused the plane to crash.[viii]
Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island and Maui On February 23, 1923 an earthquake in the Aleutians generated a tsunami that sent waves to more than 20 feet above normal in the Waiākea area of Hilo. The tsunami also caused serious damage in Kahului, Maui.
Crater Erupts A violent eruption of Halema‘uma‘u Crater took place in 1924. Halema‘uma‘u—about 3,000 feet across and more than 280 feet deep—is located within Hawai‘i Island’s Kīlauea Caldera, and was a lava lake during a century of continuous volcanic activity until 1924 when a violent steam eruption drained the lava from the lake. Since 1924, approximately 40 more eruptions have occurred in the area of the summit and rift zones that run down the volcano’s flanks. Halema‘uma‘u Crater was about 1,200 feet deep in 1924, but eruptions as recently as 1974 and 1982 poured lava onto the crater floor and filled it to its present depth, about 280 feet. Today pungent sulfur fumes continue to steam up from mineral-encrusted cracks on Halema‘uma‘u’s black-rock floor.
First Civilian Trans-Pacific Flight Crashes On July 14, 1927, the plane of navigator Emily Bronte and pilot Ernest Smith crash landed on Moloka‘i, completing the first civilian flight from the United States Mainland (Oakland, California) to the Hawaiian Islands. Bronte and Smith’s July 14, 1927 journey covered about 2,200 miles (3,541 km) and took 26 hours and 36 minutes. They originally intended to fly to Honolulu, but a fuel shortage led to the crash landing on Moloka‘i in their 27-foot (8.2-m) monoplane named The City of Oakland.
Disaster at Dole Air Derby On August 16, 1927, eight planes left Oakland, California for the Hawaiian Islands in the first trans-oceanic flight race, the Dole Air Derby. Entrants competed for the prizes of $25,000 and $10,000 being offered by James Drummond Dole, president of Hawaiian Pineapple Company. This was the first race from the United States Mainland to the Hawaiian Islands. A total of ten lives were lost when two planes crashed on take-off; two planes encountered difficulties and had to turn back; and two planes disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. The winner of the trans-oceanic race was Art Goebel (with navigator William Davis) in the monoplane Woolaroc, with just 4 gallons (15 liters) of fuel to spare. Taking second place was Martin Jensen (with navigator Paul Schluter) in the Aloha. (See Aviation, Chapter 12.)
Torrential Rains Break Dam In the first decade of the 1900s, Kaua‘i’s McBryde Sugar Plantation built dozens of reservoirs, including the Alexander Dam, one of the world’s tallest hydraulic fill earthen dams, with a capacity of more than 800 million gallons. Measuring 640 feet thick at the base, 120 feet (37 m) high, and 620 feet (189 m) long at its crest, Alexander Dam cost $2.2 million to build and became the second highest earthen dam in the Hawaiian Islands. As the dam neared completion on March 26, 1930, torrential rains broke the structure and caused a mudslide that killed six people. The dam was eventually rebuilt, finally opening in December of 1932.
Army Bombs Lava Flow Lava flows threatened Hilo (including defense facilities) in 1930 and 1942, and the Army Air Corps attempted unsuccessfully to divert or disperse the flows by dropping bombs on the advancing lava. Lava flows from a Mauna Loa eruption reached the South Kona area in 1950 when it only took about three hours for the flowing lava to reach the ocean. The 1950 event lasted for 23 days, destroying many homes and ranches. A 1975 Mauna Loa summit eruption lasted for several days and blocked a road near the summit.
Elephant Attacks Trainer On March 3, 1933 an elephant named Daisy, who was born in captivity and was the star attraction at Kapi‘olani Zoo, threw her trainer to the ground, punctured his chest with a tusk, and crushed him. The nearly five-ton African elephant was circled by Honolulu police officers and shot less than ½-hour after the attack. The elephant’s body was dumped about four miles out to sea.[ix]
Japanese Planes Attack Pearl Harbor At 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941, more than 350 Japanese bomber planes attacked Pearl Harbor. Deaths of United States military personnel totaled 2,323 people. Sixty civilians were also killed in the attack, and another 1,178 people were wounded. Eight huge battleships were sunk or damaged, along with three light cruisers, three destroyers, and four smaller ships. In all, 21 United States ships were damaged and 347 planes were destroyed. 1,177 men perished in the fiery sinking of the U.S.S. Arizona, which was at its moorings on Battleship Row and sunk in just nine minutes after being hit by a bomb. Nine hundred crew members of the Arizona remain entombed in the sunken vessel. United States anti-aircraft guns responded to the warplanes 15 minutes after the start of the bombing, and 29 Japanese planes were destroyed. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was considered an act of war, and brought the United States into World War II. After the United States dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Nagasaki on August 9, the imminent defeat of Japan led to a celebration of “V-J Day” (Victory in Japan Day) on August 15, 1945. On September 2, 1945, the forces of Japan officially surrendered on the deck of the U.S.S. Missouri battleship (now berthed at Pearl Harbor’s Battleship Row).
Japanese Submarine Attacks Army Ship On January 28, 1942 in Hawaiian waters, a Japanese submarine torpedoed an Army transport ship, the Royal T. Frank, killing 21 people.
The Battle of Midway Atoll On June 4, 1942, Japan’s naval fleet attempted to secure Midway Atoll, which is located about 1,309 miles northwest of Honolulu. American fighter pilots and dive-bombers sank four aircraft carriers of the Japanese fleet along with three destroyers and two cruisers. The U.S. forces also lost an aircraft carrier, the Yorktown, as well as one destroyer. On June 5, 1942, U.S. Admiral Nimitz (1885-1966), the commander of the Pacific Fleet, announced the United States victory over the Japanese Fleet at Midway. The Battle of Midway became a turning point of World War II, securing Midway as a strategic Navy base location for the duration of the war and providing a strategic port location for submarines and ships.
Shipwreck at Midway On February 13, 1944, the United States Navy submarine rescue vehicle U.S.S. Macaw ran aground at Midway Atoll. It had been on a mission to retrieve the submarine U.S.S. Flier when bad weather caused the grounding of the ship. A crew manned the ship’s pumps until a March storm finished off the vessel.
Ammunition Explosions Take Lives On May 21, 1944, an explosion of mortar ammunition at Pearl Harbor triggered a fire and a series of other explosions involving nine ships in all. The accident killed 163 people and injured another 396.
Bomber Planes Collide On June 8, 1944, two army bomber planes collided into each other above Kalihi and crashed into the ground, killing the four crew members. About a dozen homes were ignited by the crash, killing ten women and children.[x]
Plane Crashes into Ocean On November 14, 1944, a C-54 airplane en route to the United States Mainland with 17 people on board, plunged into the ocean about 50 miles from O‘ahu.[xi]
Disappearance at Sea In 1945, Robert S. Thurston, Jr. disappeared on a military mission over the Pacific Ocean. As a memorial to their son, a 1941 graduate of Punahou School in Honolulu, Robert’s parents built Thurston Memorial Chapel on the Punahou campus in 1966.
April Fools Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island On April 1, 1946, an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands, 2,400 miles north of the Hawaiian Islands, generated a tsunami that hit the Hawaiian Islands about four hours later, around 6:30 a.m. The first waves were said to resemble an extra high tide surrounding homes and buildings. The third and fourth waves were the biggest of some 15 tsunami waves, each arriving about 15 minutes after the previous wave. The natural shape of Hilo Bay amplified the waves, causing them to surge onto the land, with some of the waves reaching heights up to 56 feet above sea level, killing people and destroying property. The tsunami included 15 waves in all, rising up to 56 feet above sea level in some places, and 33 feet in Hilo where close to 500 homes and businesses were destroyed and at least 1,000 more damaged. The cost of the destruction totaled about $26 million, including railroads, bridges, piers and ships. The tsunami killed an estimated 159 people in the Hawaiian Islands, including 96 in Hilo and 24 in Laupāhoehoe on Hawai‘i Island. Some people drowned because they were curious at the sight of an empty bay and went out to look around, only to have the tsunami waves arrive a few minutes later to sweep them away. As each wave receded it revealed the floor of Hilo Bay. Then the tremendous surge of water would arrive again, sweeping inland and destroying everything in its path. The 1946 tsunami also hit other Hawaiian Islands, killing 17 people on Kaua‘i, 13 on Maui, and six on O‘ahu (one at Makapu‘u, two at Kahuku, and three at Kahana).
Mauna Loa Eruption Destroys Homes In 1950, an eruption of Mauna Loa Volcano on Hawai‘i Island lasted for 23 days, taking only about three hours to reach the ocean in the South Kona area. Many homes and ranches were destroyed.
Military Air Transport Crashes
In 1955, the worst air disaster in the history of the Hawaiian Islands occurred when a military transport plane crashed in the Wai‘anae Mountains, killing all 66 passengers.
Tsunami Strikes Kaua‘i On March 9, 1957, an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands generated a tsunami that destroyed 75 homes on Kaua‘i’s north shore, including 25 of the 29 homes in the area called Hā‘ena. At O‘ahu’s Pōka‘ī Bay, more than 50 boats and six yachts were smashed against the breakwater.
[Photograph: 1957 tsunami]
Air Force Bomber Hits Mountain
In 1957, four Air Force members were killed when their six-jet B-47 bomber crashed into a Wai‘anae Range mountainside at 400 miles per hour.
Hurricane Nina Strikes On November 30, 1957, Hurricane Nina caused $100,000 damage.
Hurricane Dot Hits Kaua‘i In 1959, Hurricane Dot passed over Kaua‘i, bringing winds well over 100 mi/hr and causing $6 million in damage.
Kīlauea Volcano Erupts at Summit Kīlauea Iki (“Little Kīlauea”), a crater in the summit area of Kīlauea Volcano on Hawai‘i Island, last displayed a stunning fire show in 1959 when fountains of lava erupted to heights of 1,900 feet, the highest ever recorded in the Islands. Activity in the summit area also occurred in 1977. Since 1987 the summit area has seen only two eruption events, each lasting less than one day.
Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island On May 22, 1960, 61 people in Hilo were killed when an earthquake in Chile generated a tsunami that hit the Hawaiian Islands. The Chilean earthquake occurred 6,600 miles away from the Hawaiian Islands, moving a piece of land the size of California about 30 feet in just minutes. The tsunami waves generated by the earthquake took more than 15 hours to reach Hawai‘i’s shores. Hilo took the brunt of the damage as it was hit by at least seven significant tsunami waves over a two-hour period. The third wave was the most destructive. In Hilo Bay, the tsunami created a bore that rushed ashore at a speed reported to be more than 37 miles per hour, surging water as high as 36 feet above sea level. In addition to the 61 people killed in Hilo, 43 more required medical care for their injuries. At least 229 homes were destroyed, as well as 308 public structures and businesses. The destruction was most severe near Hilo’s Kamehameha Ave., where entire city blocks were washed away. Damage was estimated up to $50 million. Many people died because they went to the shoreline to investigate what was happening as the water drained out from the bay and river. In all, the Chilean earthquake and the resulting Pacific-wide tsunami caused the death of an estimated 2,000 people, mostly in Chile, but also 122 in Japan.
Sigma 7 Spacecraft Plunges into Pacific On October 6, 1962, the Sigma 7 spacecraft, with Astronaut Walter M. Schirra on board, circled Earth six times before splashing down on the Pacific Ocean about 1,300 miles (2,100 km) north of Honolulu. The aircraft carrier Kearsarge picked up Schirra, who was then flown to O‘ahu’s Hickam Air Force Base.
Tsunami Strikes Islands of Hawai‘i and Maui In 1964, one of North America’s largest earthquakes ever recorded, at magnitude 8.4 on the Richter scale, occurred in Alaska, sending tsunami waves toward the Hawaiian Islands. The tsunamis caused flooding in Kahului, Maui, where the waves rose to more than 11 feet and in Hilo where the waves rose to more than 12.5 feet. No deaths occurred in the Hawaiian Islands, but waves also struck in Alaska and California. In all, 122 were killed; nine from the earthquake, and the rest from tsunamis.
Frank Sinatra Rescued on Kaua‘i Frank Sinatra first came to Kaua‘i in the early 1950s when he performed at the Kaua‘i County Fair. In April of 1964, Sinatra returned to Kaua‘i, directing and starring in None But the Brave, the story of a group of United States Marines who crash land on a Pacific island controlled by the Japanese during World War II. Sinatra stayed at the Coco Palms Hotel in Wailua, and one Sunday afternoon while Sinatra was swimming at Wailua Beach he saw Ruth Koch, wife of movie producer Howard Koch, in trouble in the water. Sinatra swam out to help her but instead found himself quickly pulled out to sea while Koch made it safely to shore. Sinatra was rescued after about 20 minutes in the water, apparently just in the nick of time as he was on the verge of drowning, and apparently starting to turn blue. Though an ambulance was called, Sinatra was okay and was able to recuperate at home, missing just one day of work before returning to the set. The main set of None But the Brave was located at Pila‘a Beach on Kaua‘i’s northeastern shore.
Moon Walkers Arrive in Pearl Harbor On July 26, 1969, the Apollo 11 Columbia 3, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after returning from the first human visit to the moon. The astronauts were picked up by the carrier Hornet and brought to Pearl Harbor.
Kīlauea Eruption Pours into Sea In 1971, an eruption from Kīlauea Volcano’s Mauna Ulu (“Growing Mountain”[xii]) vent poured into the sea near Kealakomo (“The entrance path”[xiii]). The eruption added 97 acres (39 ha) of new land to Hawai‘i Island.
Earthquake Shakes Hilo On April 26, 1973, an earthquake in Hilo caused an estimated $1 million damage.
Tsunami Strikes Halapē on Hawai‘i Island On the morning of November 29, 1975, two strong earthquakes shook the southeastern coastal of Hawai‘i Island. One of these was earthquakes was at least a 7.2 magnitude on the Richter scale, with an epicenter near an old Hawaiian village site called Halapē. The ground in the area sunk some 12 feet (3.7 m) and rocks fell from the cliffs above.
The earthquakes caused a small eruption of Kīlauea Volcano and generated a localized tsunami. When the tsunami came ashore at Halapē, it swept some Boy Scouts and their leaders who were camping there up onto a rugged lava field, and many were washed into a huge crack in the lava. Nineteen people were injured, many severely, and two were killed, including a scout leader and a local fisherman. A huge piece of land actually slid into the ocean and the tops of the palm trees were sticking up from the water. One of the tsunami waves traveled more than 300 feet inland.
Hurricane ‘Iwa Brings 100 m.p.h. Winds On November 3, 1982, Hurricane ‘Iwa passed between Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, bringing gusts of wind with speeds of more than 100 miles per hour and causing damages totaling $239 million.
Kīlauea Volcano Begins Current Eruption In 1983, a flank eruption began on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano, and it has continued almost uninterrupted to the present day, releasing more than 67 billion cubic feet of lava and covering at least 40.7 square miles, increasing the island’s size by more than 535 acres. The eruptive activity began on January 3, 1983 at Nāpau Crater with 250-foot fountains of lava. In June, 1983, the activity moved to Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Vent with lava shooting up to 1,400 feet high and eventually reaching the Royal Gardens subdivision about four miles from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. In 1983 and 1984, 16 homes were buried and/or burned. In 1984 at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, explosions of fountaining lava reached heights of more than 1,500 feet. Eruptive activity moved to Kupaianaha Vent in July, 1986, and soon the lava was flowing through the community of Kapa‘ahu and across the coastal highway. Later in 1986, 14 houses in the community of Kalapana were destroyed. In the spring and summer of 1990, numerous homes in and around Kalapana Gardens were destroyed along with the county store and the Mauna Kea Congregational Church. The destruction totaled 181 homes by the end of 1990. Gone was the black sand beach on crescent-shaped Kaimū Bay, which was filled with lava. In 1992 the eruptions moved from Kupaianaha Vent back to Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. In 1997, amidst a swarm of earthquakes, Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater erupted and collapsed, sending abrasive red cinder dust (fine-grained lithic tephra) over dozens of square miles of Kīlauea’s eastern flank. The iron in the volcanic rock oxidized as it was ejected, creating red dust-sized particles that were a kind of volcanic rust, and the floor of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater fell nearly 500 feet. About three miles up the East Rift Zone from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater, and 9 miles east of Kīlauea’s summit, curtains of fiery lava up to 100 feet tall shot from fissures in the Earth. Two miles west, at Nāpau Crater, a 24-hour eruption occurred.
In May, 2001, the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Vent flow covered almost a mile of an unpaved access road, blocking nearly 1,500 people from the lots they owned. A significant increase in lava flows from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō began on May 12, 2002, the same date that Mauna Loa showed volcanic activity. Kīlauea’s May 12, 2002 outbreak of lava first reached the ocean along the Puna coast on July 19, 2002. As many as 4,000 visitors per day flocked to the area to see the increased activity, including streams of lava cascading up to 45 feet off the seacliffs into the ocean. Since May, 2002, the lava flows of Kīlauea Volcano have added more than ten acres of land to Hawai‘i Island, and created new black sand beaches along the island’s southeast shore. The eruptions also sparked a fire that burned 3,600 acres. In 2004, spectacular lava flows into the ocean drew record numbers of visitors.[xiv]
Mauna Loa Eruption Threatens Hilo A 22-day eruption of Mauna Loa in 1984 sent lava flowing for 16 miles down to the 3,200-foot level of the mountain, and covered more than 18 square miles. The flow came close enough to Hilo to make many people very nervous.
Man Killed at Hālona Blowhole On April 13, 1986 an 18-year-old man looking down into O‘ahu’s Hālona Blowhole was killed as a powerful geyser of water shot upward. The geyser is created by waves hitting the rocks and funneling water into the blowhole.[xv]
Hurricane Estelle Strikes Islands On July 23, 1986, Hurricane Estelle caused $2 million damage on Hawai‘i Island, Maui, and O‘ahu.
Woman Sucked Out of Plane
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243 was flying from Hilo to Honolulu at an elevation of about 24,000 feet (7,315 m), 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Maui, with 89 passengers on board, when a large chunk of the jet’s roof and walls, from the cockpit to the back of the cabin, were suddenly torn from the plane’s cabin, causing an “explosive decompression of the cabin.” A flight attendant standing at seat row 5 disappeared through the hole in the left side of the fuselage.
Another flight attendant, who had been standing at row 2, was hit in the head by debris and suffered head lacerations and a concussion. The flight diverted its route, and was able to land safely in Maui. A total of seven passengers sustained serious injuries and 57 more passengers had minor injuries.
The missing flight attendant was not found despite a sea search. The $5 million dollar Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 airplane sustained major damage, and had to be dismantled and sold for parts and scrap.[xvi]
1990s
Lava Flow Buries Kalapana Village In 1990, a lava flow from Kīlauea Volcano buried the village of Kalapana.on Hawai‘i Island.
Shark Attacks Women
On November 26, 1991, a 41-year-old woman was swimming about 100 yards offshore at Olowalu on Maui when she was killed by a tiger shark.[xvii] The woman owned an oceanfront Olowalu home. Her death prompted the formation of a Shark Task Force as well as a state-sanctioned shark hunt.
Bodyboarder Disappears, Board Bitten
On February 19, 1992, a bodyboarder who had been in the water west of O‘ahu’s Waimea Bay at a spot known as Leftovers did not return to shore. The next morning his bodyboard was found with a large piece missing. The 16-inch crescent taken out of the bodyboard was presumably due to a shark bite.[xviii]
Helicopter Crashes on Haleakalā On April 22, 1992, a Beech E18S helicopter crashed near Maui’s Haleakalā crater, killing all nine aboard. Investigators concluded the pilot was to blame for flying into bad weather.[xix]
Hurricane ‘Iniki Slams Kaua‘i On September 11, 1992, the eye of Hurricane ‘Iniki passed directly over Kaua‘i. ‘Iniki began brewing far southeast of the Hawaiian Islands. The winds within the hurricane continued to grow to more than 100 miles per hour as the whole hurricane slowly moved north-northwest at about 20 miles per hour. Eventually the path of the hurricane turned due north and the hurricane made a direct hit on Kaua‘i As Hurricane ‘Iniki proceeded over the island of Kaua‘i, a ferocious gust of wind within the hurricane was clocked at 227 miles per hour, a measurement that was taken by the Navy’s Mākaha Ridge radar station. Soon after that digital readout was sent, the wind gauging equipment was blown off the mountain! Property damage due to Hurricane ‘Iniki totaled more than $3 billion, including damage to over 70% of Kaua‘i’s homes. In all, about 14,000 homes and apartments were damaged, including 1,421 that were completely destroyed. The community of Princeville topped the list with 279 homes destroyed. At the time of the hurricane there were 8,200 hotel, condo, and bed and breakfast rooms on Kaua‘i, and ‘Iniki shut down 90% of them.[xx]
Helicopter Crashes on Haleakalā On September 16, 1992, seven people on a helicopter tour died when the Aerospatiale Astar helicopter crashed on Haleakalā Crater’s southern slope. An investigation determined that pilot error caused the crash.
Shark Attacks Bodyboarder On November 5, 1992, a bodyboarder offshore of O‘ahu’s Keeau Beach Park on the Wai‘anae coast died after being bitten on the right leg by a shark estimated to be about 11 feet long.[xxi]
Lava Shelf Collapse Claims Victim In April of 1993, a man died on Hawai‘i Island when the ½-acre lava shelf he stood upon fell into the sea. More than a dozen others in the area at the time were injured by flying debris. The lava shelf where the man was standing was closed off to the public, but the man ignored the warnings.[xxii]
Helicopter Crashes into Ocean On June 25, 1993, the pilot of a Hilleer 1100 helicopter lost control of his tail rotor and the craft plunged into the ocean offshore of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Four passengers were killed in the crash, but the pilot survived. The crash was blamed on loss of rotor control.
Helicopter Crash on Kaua‘i On April 18, 1994, one person was killed and four were injured when a helicopter crashed near Kaua‘i’s Hanapēpē Valley. The crash was blamed on engine failure.
Helicopter Crashes on Kaua‘i July 14, 1994 Three of seven people aboard were killed; crash believed due to engine failure. [Facts to be added]
Elephant Goes on Rampage On August 20, 1994, an African elephant named Tyke mauled her groomer and then killed her trainer before running from Blaisdell Arena into the streets and then killing another man. Honolulu police officers used high-powered rifles to shoot the elephant.[xxiii]
Plane Crashes in ‘Īao Valley
On March 25, 1995, the pilot of a twin-engine Cessna plane died when he crashed in Maui’s ‘Īao Valley.
Waterfall Jump Fatal On June 18, 1995, a 31-year-old man jumped off Kaua‘i’s 80-foot-high Wailua Falls, resulting in a broken tailbone, severe bruising, and torn flesh. When asked why he jumped off the falls, he replied that it was for the thrill of it. Eight days later he died due to a massive strep infection.[xxiv]
Shark Attacks Surfer In 1997, a young man lost his lower right leg to a shark at the surf spot known as Majors along the coastline of the PMRF on Kaua‘i’s west side. The man was about 150 yards (137 m) offshore.[xxv]
Man Killed in Slide Down Lava Cone
In April of 1998, a resident of Laupāhoehoe on Hawai‘i Island died when he fell into the sea after sliding down the side of a coastal lava cone.[xxvi]
Helicopter Crashes in Crater of Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale On June 25, 1998, an Aerostar 350 BA helicopter with a pilot and five passengers aboard approached Kaua‘i’s Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale, often called the “wettest spot on Earth.” “Boy, the weather is looking bad right here,” said the pilot as he entered the volcano’s waterfall-laced, summit crater, which was dense with clouds. Soon after entering the crater, the pilot said over his radio, “I can’t see,” and then crashed directly into the side of the mountain cliff about 200 feet below the ridge, at an elevation of about 2,400 feet, instantly killing the six people aboard. When the crash occurred, the helicopter was under power and nearly perpendicular to the cliff’s face.[xxvii]
Shark Bites Swimmer
On March 5, 1999, a woman suffered a 13-inch shark bite to her leg as she was swimming offshore at Ka‘anapali, Maui.[xxviii]
Honeymooner Attacked by Shark
On March 18, 1999, two honeymooners were enjoying their honeymoon on Maui, and went kayaking off the Lahaina coast. The man was rescued three days later on Kaho‘olawe, and stated that he and his wife were blown away from Maui, their boat capsized, and a shark killed his wife.
Authorities were not able to verify or disprove the story. In June of 2001, a death certificate was issued for the woman.[xxix]
Landslide at Sacred Falls One of the worst natural disasters in the Hawaiian Islands occurred at 2:30 p.m. on May 9, 1999 when a landslide killed eight persons and injured 50 more at O‘ahu’s Sacred Falls State Park (Kaliuwa‘a) in the Ko‘olau Mountains, about 30 miles north of Honolulu. Boulders and dirt rained down upon a group of people swimming in the pool beneath the waterfall. The debris came from as high as 600 feet up the mountain, and the sound of the falling rocks was described as similar to the sound of a freight train. Those in the path of the landslide were buried instantly. As far as 50 feet away from the pool people were hurt, some sustaining head concussions, lost limbs, and other serious injuries. There were many “walking wounded.” The waterfall is reached by a narrow, winding trail about three miles long. Rescue workers had to hike to the scene because the canyon was too narrow for a helicopter landing. Eventually, heat-seeking cameras and military search dogs were used to locate the buried victims, the last of whom was retrieved on May 12, three days after the landslide. Flash floods and hiking accidents have killed others in the park in the past.[xxx]
Plane Crashes on Mauna Loa
On September 25, 1999, a Piper Chieftan tour plane crashed on Hawai‘i Island’s Mauna Loa volcano, killing all ten people aboard the plane. An investigation placed the blame for the crash on the plane’s pilot, who had continued to fly the craft without instruments despite encountering cloudy conditions.
During the last thirty seconds of the flight, the plane climbed at its maximum rate of ascent, but it wasn’t enough to clear the mountain. The plane crashed at an elevation of 10,100 feet.[xxxi]
Jet Crashes on Moloka‘i On May 10, 2000, a private jet crashed on Moloka‘i while approaching the airport. Six people died.
Helicopter Crashes at the Base of ‘Īao Valley
On June 22, 2000, an AS355 twin-engine helicopter crashed at the base of Maui’s ‘Īao Valley in the West Maui Mountains.
Helicopter Crashes in ‘Iao Valley On July 21, 2000, seven people died in Maui’s ‘Īao Valley when a tour helicopter crashed. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error, which included flying into inclement weather.
Shark Bites Windsurfer On August 15, 2000, a windsurfer was severely bitten in the lower left leg by a tiger shark. The attack occurred about ½-mile offshore southeast of Kū‘au after the windsurfer fell off his board and was severely bitten in the lower left leg by a tiger shark identified by teeth recovered after the incident.[xxxii]
Eight Survive, One Dies in Plane Crash On August 25, 2000, a twin-engine Piper PA 31-350 Navajo Chieftain airplane ditched in the ocean about 200 yards offshore of Hilo. One passenger died in the crash, but seven survived along with the plane’s pilot. The crash occurred at 5:30 p.m., and helicopters and rescue boats pulled the survivors from the water before nightfall.
The cause of the crash was loss of power in the right engine and an engine fire, and it came to rest about 100-feet-deep in Hilo Bay. An S-61 Sikorsky helicopter could not lift the plane out of the water so instead pulled it to the shore. The plane broke in two as the helicopter lifted it off the beach.[xxxiii]
Shark Bites Snorkeler
On October 18, 2000, a 56-year-old female snorkeler about ½-mile offshore was bitten on the upper and lower back.
Volcanic Gasses Kill Two On November 5, 2000, a man and a woman were found dead about 100 yards from the ocean in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park along Hawai‘i Island’s southeast coastline where they were observing the volcanic activity. It was later determined that the two had inhaled so much acid-laden steam from the lava that their lungs became filled with fluid, preventing their hearts from pumping blood fast enough. This is known as pulmonary edema.[xxxiv]
2001
Golf Ball Injures Baseball Player
On February 2, 2001 on O‘ahu, a man hit two golf balls from behind a University of Hawai‘i dormitory toward the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. One of the golf shots sailed down into the stadium, where the state softball tournament was in progress. The golf ball hit one of the softball players directly in the mouth as she was in the dugout preparing to go to bat for ‘Iolani School. The impact knocked out one of the competitor’s teeth, loosened other teeth, and bloodied her mouth. The man was later convicted of second-degree assault.[xxxv]
Submarine Crashes into Fishing Boat On February 9, 2001, in waters about nine miles off of Pearl Harbor, the fast-attack submarine USS Greeneville was engaged in a rapid-ascent surfacing drill. As the submarine approached the ocean’s surface it collided with a fishing boat named the Ehime Maru, which was on a fishing training expedition with southwestern Japan’s Uwajima Fisheries High School. The collision sank the trawler Ehime Maru and killed nine of its crewmembers. The surfacing drill was done for the benefit of 16 civilians aboard the submarine as distinguished guests. Two civilians were at key controls aboard the submarine as it performed the surfacing drill known as a main ballast blow to the surface. The initial crash of the submarine into the fishing boat ripped open the bulkheads and fuel tanks on the Ehime Maru. The fishing boat then plunged toward the bottom reaching a speed of more than 60 m.p.h. as parts of the boat were crushed by the pressure of the deep sea and the ship crashed into the seafloor. In 2002, the Navy paid $13 million to the families of the victims.[xxxvi]
Breaching Whale Lands on Tourist
On February 13, 2001, passengers aboard the boat Hokua were on a humpback whale-watching trip offshore of West Kaua‘i’s Barking Sands Beach when they saw a young humpback veer away from its mother and breach from the water. The 22-foot whale landed on the legs of a woman sitting on the stern of a 40-foot catamaran. The front of the breaching whale landed on the woman’s legs, breaking one of her knees.[xxxvii]
Soldiers Die in Crash of Black Hawk Helicopters
On February 12, 2001, two UH-60 Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed near Kahuku, killing six soldiers, and injuring 11. The six soldiers who died were all on the same helicopter, which was carrying an Army Humvee in a sling hanging beneath the helicopter. The Humvee weighed 8,000 pounds, which was just 37 pounds short of the load limit for the helicopter. The two helicopters were about 150 feet up when the crash occurred, and were part of a group of twelve helicopters (three groups of four) that were participating in a nighttime military training exercise called “Lightning Thrust Warrior.” The helicopter carrying the Humvee was at the rear of the group and fell behind. The pilot radioed the code “heavy metal” to the others, requesting that they slow down so he could get back in position. As the fourth helicopter caught up it apparently had too much speed, and the pilot then radioed a request to helicopter three to speed up, but helicopter three replied that it could not speed up and still maintain formation. The helicopters were executing two 90-degree turns so they could land with the wind behind them. At that point helicopter four broke formation and flew to the right, past the others, causing helicopters two and three to veer left to make room. Helicopter four then banked about 35 degrees to the right and the sling of helicopter four came in contact with the rotor blades of helicopter one, the lead helicopter, severing part of the sling. This caused the fourth helicopter to nose over and crash. The helicopter whose blades had contacted the sling then began “autorotating,” and also crashed. After the accident, a team of more than 90 soldiers completed a thorough search of the area. The incident was one the worst helicopter accidents in the history of the Hawaiian Islands.[xxxviii]
Shark Bites Bodyboarder
On March 23, 2001, a man suffered minor cuts when he was bitten by a shark while bodyboarding about 35 yards offshore at O‘ahu’s Sandy Beach.
Woman Falls into Lava Tube In April of 2001, a Hawai‘i Island woman was reported missing. Her family members searched the area near her Pāhoa home, and rescue crews later retrieved her body from a 15-foot deep lava tube.[xxxix]
Diver Lost and Found at Sea
On the evening of April 7, 2001, an O‘ahu man took his 19-foot powerboat about ½-mile off Ka‘ena Point where he dove for tropical fish. The man became separated from his lead line and was unable to return to his boat due to the current, which began to carry him around the point. When he failed to return home in the evening his wife alerted authorities. A helicopter search was launched at about 3 a.m.
Fortunately the man was able to remain afloat due to a buoyancy compensator device, which is an adjustable flotation device used by divers. After 18 hours in the water he made it to shore at Mokulē‘ia Beach, about 15 miles (24 km) from where he was originally diving.[xl]
Shark Bites Surfer’s Hand On April 11, 2001, a man surfing off ‘Ewa Beach on O‘ahu was bitten on his left hand by a shark estimated to be about 3 feet (.9 m) long. The injuries included cuts and puncture wound.
Pit Bulls Attack Horse
On May 18, 2001 at about 7 p.m., three pit bulls attacked a seven-year-old mare named Lilo, which was being ridden by a woman on a trail along the rim of Kaua‘i’s Hanalei Valley.
The pit bulls came toward the horse and rider at a dead run and bit into the horse’s legs. The woman was bucked off the frightened horse, which went over the edge of the hillside with the dogs still attacking. The muscular dogs weighed between 50 and 100 pounds. The horse was valued at $10,000.
It was later determined that the horse died from both the attack and the long fall. The dogs disappeared from the scene. Despite the offer of a financial reward, authorities investigating the incident did not find the owner of the dogs.
Five Survive Plane Crash in Ocean off Hāmākua Coast
On May 18, 2001, four passengers and a pilot were flying aboard a Cessna 337 Skymaster tour plane over the ocean on Hawai‘i Island’s Hāmākua Coast when suddenly the plane’s engine sputtered and died.
The four passengers and the pilot were plucked from the sea by the a Waiākea Fire/Rescue Station helicopter, and suffered only cuts and bruises. The plane sank about 100 yards offshore in about 100 feet of water.[xli]
Plane Crashes on Lāna‘i
On June 14, 2001, a flight instructor and his student were on an interisland instructional flight on a Piper Comanche airplane over Lāna‘i. The flight ended near the Kānepu‘u ridge where the aircraft slid along the ground for about 50 feet, slammed into a four-foot embankment and then continued on for about another 200 feet before coming to a stop. Both wings were ripped off the plane.
The crash took the life of the 23-year-old student pilot from Kāne‘ohe, who was a also a member of the U.S. Navy. Federal investigators concluded that the student pilot may not have properly followed the commands of his 22-year-old instructor. The student pilot mistakenly made a left descending turn instead of a right descending turn, sending the plane down into some clouds. The instructor took over the controls but it was too late, and he was not able to gain elevation in time to avoid crashing.
Despite severe head and leg injuries, the flight instructor crawled from the scene and managed to leave his flashlight pointed at the fuselage before passing out. The crash occurred at 8:44 p.m. and the rescuers found the site about five hours later. The light was credited with helping rescuers find the crash site.[xlii]
Man Attempts Swim to Ni‘ihau
On June 9, 2001, a 27-year-old man left Hanapēpē Bay on Kaua‘i early in the morning in a quest to swim from Kaua‘i across the Kaulakahi Channel to Ni‘ihau. He had told his parents on the phone the night before that he had “a vision,” and was going to “swim and be with the Hawaiians.” He apparently had spoken with another man who had swam the channel the year before. Shortly after 6 p.m. a Coast Guard helicopter 11 miles east of Ni‘ihau spotted the lone swimmer, who was picked up in a rescue basket. The man had been swimming for about 11 hours and had a small water bottle tied to his body, but he had no clothes on.[xliii]
Three Survive 80-Foot Descent at Waterfall On June 26, 2001, two 22-year old male visitors from California jumped from the top of Kaua‘i’s 80-foot Wailua Falls, a popular visitor attraction well known for being featured in the opening scene of the television series, “Fantasy Island.” The two men were walking above the falls when one of them stopped, removed his backpack and shirt, and then took a running leap over the edge. He landed feet first, plunging beneath the water for more than 20 seconds before rising to the surface. The second man then jumped, but hit the water awkwardly. When he surfaced he had trouble swimming, and he was moaning in pain. From the guardrail above the falls, the friends and family members of the two men who jumped off the falls were crying and screaming, distraught at what they were watching. Both jumpers had multiple injuries and were airlifted by helicopter to a waiting ambulance, and then taken to the emergency room at Wilcox Hospital. By the next morning both were listed in stable condition. Less than 24 hours later, another 22-year-old male fell from the top of the waterfall by accident as he tried to jump over a channel in the river above the falls and lost his footing. When he surfaced from the pool below the falls, his shirt had been ripped off and he was holding his right shoulder and wiping blood from near his eye. Like the victims the day before, he was airlifted from the scene.[xliv]
Man Chasing Hat Falls Into Volcano
On August 5, 2001, a Navy Lieutenant who was stationed aboard the guided missile frigate USS Crommelin outside of Pearl Harbor decided to visit Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. He was standing on the rim of Kīlauea caldera and enjoying the spectacular view into the crater when suddenly a gust of wind blew his hat off his head. The man tried to retrieve it by climbing through the safety railings and reaching over the edge of the crater rim. Suddenly he slipped and fell, descending about 85 feet before having his fall broken by a Myrica faya tree, which miraculously stopped him from falling another 100 feet. Rescuers were called, and had to be lowered by ropes to pull the man out in a harness. A CAT scan and a series of tests revealed that the man had no serious injuries. After 12 stitches and some bandages, he was released from the hospital. The “Abercrombie & Fitch” hat was never recovered.[xlv]
Five Survive Fiery Helicopter Crash On September 28, 2001, four passengers and a pilot were in a helicopter heading for a tour of the active lava flows of Kalapana on Hawai‘i Island. Suddenly they heard strange noises, including a loud bang that came from the helicopter’s engine, which then caught on fire and lost power. The Bell 206 helicopter started going down, and the pilot steered the powerless craft to an “auto rotation” crash landing in a Kea‘au field. The passengers and the pilot were able to safely get out of the helicopter, which then burned. One male passenger suffered minor injuries and the $250,000 helicopter was destroyed. It was later determined that a turbine wheel had flown out of the helicopter, and the copter suffered “catastrophic engine failure.” The pilot was credited with executing the landing and helping his passengers from the burning craft.[xlvi]
Shark Bites Man’s Surfboard On November 14, 2001, a surfer at Maui’s Kapalua Beach had his surfboard bitten into by a shark.
Fatal Fall on Maui A Kula, Maui man died after falling more than 200 feet, while hiking a trail on the Piina‘au Stream near the Hāna Highway.[xlvii]
2002
Shark Bites Snorkeler
On January 1, 2002, a 35-year-old male snorkeler about 100 yards offshore of Olowalu on Maui was bitten on the buttock. The attack was presumed to have been inflicted by a tiger shark, as one was seen in the area before and after the attack.
Two Boys Survive Being Swept Downstream Three boys went into O‘ahu’s Makīkī Stream to retrieve their slippers (sandals), when a sudden of rush of water appeared and swept two of the boys downstream. The third boy ran for help as his two friends floated beneath the H-1 freeway and through culverts, traveling about ½-mile distance in about 10 minutes. Near King Street and Kalākaua Avenue, the boys managed to grab onto a pipe hanging out into the water, and then they were helped onto land by some passers by.[xlviii]
Angel’s Trumpet Flower Causes Incoherent Babbling In February of 2002 on O‘ahu, a 15-year-old boy ended up in critical condition at Castle Medical Center after eating the petals of an Angel’s Trumpet flower (Burgmansia species), a fairly common plant in the Hawaiian Islands. Though its long, bell-shaped flowers make it an attractive ornamental plant, Angel’s Trumpet is extremely toxic, and consumption of even a small amount can shut down the central nervous system. Doctors had to tie the boy to the hospital bed, giving him sedatives and inserting a charcoal solution (in a bottle) into the boy’s intestine to absorb the plant’s toxins, which caused 18 hours of hallucinations and incoherent babbling. Later the boy reported that he had eaten “several petals” and then “several more petals” of the toxic flower. Angel’s Trumpet contains a chemical called atropine, which is used by doctors as an antidote to persons exposed to nerve gas or pesticides. Another boy was hospitalized in June of 2001 after consuming the Angel’s Trumpet flower and losing control due to hallucinations. In 1982, a man died after consuming a homemade medical preparation that included juice from the plant. In 1996, the Angel’s Trumpet flower was banned from O‘ahu’s Schofield Barracks because some soldiers had ingested it to get high.[xlix]
Human Leg Found on Reef On March 2, 2002, a scuba diver about 100 yards offshore of O‘ahu’s Hanauma Bay discovered a human leg lying on top of the coral reef. The leg bones were nearly complete from the toes to the hip socket, and a portion of the foot still had the flesh attached. Lifeguards turned the limb over to police, who gave it to the Medical Examiner for analysis and comparison with data on missing persons.[l]
Truck Goes Off Waipi‘o Cliff On March 19, 2002, one man was killed when a pickup truck ascending the hill out of Waipi‘o Valley went off the edge of the narrow road and plunged 300 feet down the steep cliff. The truck rolled over numerous times and ended up on the beach below. Rescue workers searched for the accident victims that evening but were hampered by thick fog and darkness. After they ceased searching, the family and friends of the driver’s fiancé continued searching, and heard the vehicle’s driver yelling for help. Using a rope tied to a truck on the road, they descended the cliff and found the man wedged against the cliff by a tree about 100 yards above the beach. He suffered only a broken leg. The passenger remained in the vehicle and did not survive the crash.[li]
Shark Attacks Bodyboarder
On March 25, 2002 a 17-year-old male bodyboarder lost his left foot and ankle to a shark about 150 feet offshore at Brennecke Beach on Kaua‘i’s south shore. The 17-year-old was pulled underwater twice, and then was finally freed from the shark’s grip after he punched it and jabbed the eye of the shark, which was thought to be a tiger shark.[lii]
Geyser Takes Life An 18-year-old California man died after he leaned over O‘ahu’s Hālona Blowhole and was struck by the powerful geyser of water that is produced when waves striking the lava are funneled up through a hole in the rock with tremendous force. Just as the man leaned over the blowhole to look inside, the powerful spout of water blasted him up into the air. He came down head first, right into the hole. His body was found the next day in the nearby ocean.[liii]
Kayaker Adrift for Four Days is Rescued On Friday, July 26, 2002, a man in a 17-foot-long folding, sailing kayak was about ¼th-mile offshore of Hawai‘i Island’s Kohala Coast when stormy weather capsized the vessel. When he righted the kayak, the jib sail caught the wind and quickly sent the vessel about 20 miles out to sea. The man paddled hard for more than 20 hours, but could only get within about 10 miles of shore. On Sunday morning, after drifting helplessly for two days, he was able to use his cell phone to contact rescuers and communicate his position. Four times the rescue planes came very near, but did not see him. By Tuesday, July 30, the drifting kayaker was about 80 miles southwest of the Hawaiian Islands. Exhausted, dehydrated, and suffering from delusions, the man was comforted only by his water-soaked Bible. He was finally spotted and rescued.[liv]
Shark Bites Boy
On August 28, 2002 in O‘ahu’s Kewalo Basin channel, a tiger shark estimated to be 11-feet long bit into the left foot of a 16-year-old boy, causing a large gash. The shark also bit the tail off the boy’s surfboard.
100-Foot Fall into Lava Tube Injures Rescue Worker On September 11, 2002 a firefighter on Hawai‘i Island fell 100 feet into a lava tube. Though he suffered multiple injuries, the man survived. At the time of the accident, the firefighter was searching for three missing hunters, and was making his way through thick underbrush when he stepped into a fern-covered hole. Other firefighters used ropes to bring the man up out of the lava tube, and he was then transported by helicopter to Queen’s Hospital.[lv]
Five Rescued from Lava Tube On September 24, 2002 five people rappelled down into a 60-foot-deep lava tube on the side of Mauna Kea volcano. The hole was only about 10 feet wide at the top, growing to about 30 feet wide at the bottom. Once they were down in the hole, however, the group realized they didn’t have the strength or equipment to climb back out. Their companion at the top of the hole called rescuers, who arrived about an hour and a half later and used ropes to rescue the stranded adventurers.[lvi]
Shark Bites Surfboard
On September 27, 2002, a man was surfing off O‘ahu’s Kāhala Beach when his surfboard was bitten by a black tip shark estimated to be 4 feet (1.2 m)long.
Shark Bites Woman’s Foot
On October 30, 2002, a 62-year-old woman was swimming about 25 yards off of Kama‘ole Beach Park 1 in Kīhei on Maui’s south shore when she suffered deep wounds to her right foot, including damage to ligaments, tendons and an artery, in what is suspected to have been a shark attack.
Shark Bites Woman’s Arm
On November 17, 2002, a 33-year-old woman visitor from San Diego, California was severely bitten by a shark about 100 yards off of Maui’s Kā‘anapali Coast. She suffered wounds to her wrist, forearm and right shoulder. She stated that the shark was gray with a white-tipped tail, and more than 6 feet long.
2003
Man Survives 200-Foot Fall Down Cliff In January of 2003, a 58-year-old man strayed off a trail and fell 200 feet down the side of a cliff in the Wai‘anae Mountains. Though he suffered neck and back injuries, the man was able to use his cell phone to call for help. He spent the night in the mountains and was rescued the following morning.[lvii]
Student Pilot Crashes on Moloka‘i On January 25, 2003, a 17-year-old student pilot crashed a single-engine plane into a Moloka‘i mountain. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the cause of the crash involved the pilot’s error in descending to 1,000 feet when he should have stayed above 3,500 feet. The crash occurred during the high school senior’s his first solo interisland flight. Rescuers found the burned wreckage of the plane two days after the crash.[lviii]
Flash Flood Sweeps Away Man and Daughter On April 10, 2003, a 39-year-old man and his eight-year-old daughter were crossing over a stream in Kipahulu about one-half mile above Hāna Highway in Haleakalā National Park on the Pīpīwai Trail, when the young girl slipped and fell. The father helped her up as they suddenly heard a loud noise—it was a 6-foot-high surge of water was roaring down the stream. A sudden rush of debris-filled water swept them to their death over the 184-foot high Makahiku Falls. The area of the incident was extensively searched, but the bodies were not found. To date, no one has ever survived a descent from the hazardous precipice of the waterfall. The stream had caused numerous deaths in the previous several years.[lix] About 30 minutes before the tragedy occurred, a flash flood warning had been issued by Hawaii Civil Defense, though people on the trail were likely unaware the warning had been issued.
Marlin Spears Whale Researcher On April 15, 2003, a prominent whale researcher was filming a pod of more than 50 false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) attacking a marlin, a fast-swimming, carnivorous fish, (Hawaiian name: a‘u), about 3 miles off Maui’s western coast. Suddenly the marlin, estimated to be about 12½ feet long, turned and attacked the man, spearing him through his right shoulder, quickly extracting itself, and leaving him severely wounded and bleeding profusely. He was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center where he was treated for the extreme puncture wound.[lx]
Shark Bites Swimmer’s Leg On May 10, 2003, on Hawai‘i Island a man was swimming near Kahalu‘u Beach when an estimated 6-foot-long, gray-colored shark bit into his left foot, ankle, and calf.
Load Line Causes Helicopter Crash On May 22, 2003, a commercial helicopter crashed on Kaho‘olawe when a 41-foot load line attached to the helicopter struck the tail rotor. The pilot had just delivered a 3000-pound load from Maui, and took off with the line still hanging from the helicopter (not standard procedure). The line became entangled in the tail rotor, separating it from the craft and causing the crash.[lxi]
Four Rescued from Sea Cave On May 26, 2003, two men and two women took their small inflatable boat into a sea cave along Kaua‘i’s rugged Nāpali coastline. Suddenly the adventurous boaters found themselves trapped in the cave by waves pounding against the rocks. The boat washed up onto the rocks as the waves continued to crash into the cave’s entrance. Lifeguards soon arrived, and timed their efforts with the arriving swells as they raced into the cave and rescued one person at a time. The rescuers lost hold of the jet ski and recovered it, and one wave almost smashed them against the top of the entrance to the cave. A veteran County lifeguard called the operation “...the heaviest rescue I’ve ever been involved in.”[lxii]
Leaping Eel Bites Woman On June 1, 2003, a visitor from Washington State was bitten on the hand by a 4½-foot peppered moray eel that leaped about 2½ feet from a saltwater pool at a hotel. The woman had seen the eel beneath the water in the pool, and had stopped to point out the eel to her niece and nephew. After the initial bite, the woman shook her hand, hitting the eel against a handrail, but it bit another part of her hand before finally letting go. The woman’s hand required two surgeries and some damage was permanent. She filed a lawsuit against the hotel for harboring “..a dangerous animal species.”[lxiii]
Helicopter Crashes at Volcanoes National Park On June 15, 2003, a Hughes 500 helicopter crashed on Hawai‘i Island in Volcanoes National Park. The pilot and three passengers died in the crash.
Jellyfish Invade O‘ahu Beaches On June 23, 2003, box jellyfish stung hundreds of swimmers and beachgoers along O‘ahu’s southern shores, where an estimated 2,700 jellyfish washed up on the beaches. Lifeguards treated at least 330 individuals for stings. Two people suffered severe allergic reactions to the stings, and had to go to a hospital for additional treatment. The following day, June 24, about 100 people were treated for stings and about 500 jellyfish washed ashore.[lxiv]
Dolphins Flee as Shark Bites Man’s Foot
On June 24, 2003 offshore of O‘ahu’s Mākua Beach a man was swimming with a pod of about 45 spinner dolphins when the dolphins suddenly and rapidly left the area. Just then the man was bitten in the foot by shark. The shark may have been preying on the dolphins, and may have mistaken the man for a dolphin.
The man estimated the shark to be about five feet wide and silver colored. Experts deduced it was a likely a great white shark. Fortunately the man’s foot was not severely damaged despite needing more than 25 stitches.
Solar Aircraft Crashes into Ocean On June 26, 2003, an unmanned, solar electric-powered flying wing named Helios was flying at an elevation of about 3,000 feet. The length of the plane’s 247-foot wingspan suddenly began bending and flapping. Technically speaking, the $15 million plane was experiencing “undampened pitch oscillations.” The flapping tore the skin of the fragile, lightweight craft, and it plunged into the sea about 10 miles offshore. Much of the plane’s wreckage was later recovered, but the sensitive equipment was damaged and the plane was a total loss. In 2001, Helios had soared to 96,500 feet, setting the world altitude record for non-rocket-powered fixed-wing aircraft. The plane was powered by 10 propeller-driven engines. The crash occurred during a flight being used to test a hydrogen fuel cell that can be recharged by the solar photovoltaic panels and fuel the plane’s electric motors, allowing the Helios to fly at night. NASA later determined that the plane was not suited for turbulence due to changes in the configuration of the plane after its record breaking 2001 flight. A report concluded there should have been more analysis and risk assessment, and an “inappropriate decision” to fly the craft led to the crash.[lxv]
Helicopter Crash on Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale On July 23, 2003 a Bell 206-B Jet Ranger helicopter crashed at about the 4,650 foot level on the northeast face of Kaua‘i’s Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale crater, then slid downward separating the cabin from the tail of the aircraft and killing all five aboard. Wreckage was strewn over several hundred yards of cliff. A Kaua‘i Fire Department search and rescue team reached the crash site about three hours after the accident occurred. Rescuers first secured the main cabin of the craft to the steep cliff so that it would not fall further down the mountain. A rescue worker saw a foot sticking out of the wreckage, and removed debris to find a woman still alive but pinned against a rock by the helicopter. CPR was administered along with oxygen. Swirling clouds and bad weather prevented rescuers from transporting the 33-year-old woman to a hospital, and they could only wait for a break inclement weather. The woman was able to speak with the rescuers, and her leg was splinted. Rescuers tore upholstery from the aircraft and wrapped it around the woman to keep her warm, comforting her for the next two hours before she passed away on the mountainside.[lxvi]
360 Swimmers Rescued in Roughwater Competition On September 1, 2003, 360 swimmers involved in the 34th annual Waikīkī Roughwater Swim competition had to be rescued from the water after an unusually strong current swept them out to sea. The competitors were swimming a 2.384 mile course beginning at Waikīkī’s San Souci Beach, and more than a third of the competition’s 947 entrants were rescued. Two hundred swimmers were rescued by city lifeguards, 93 were rescued by the Coast Guard, and 68 were rescued by the Fire Department. Many of the rescued swimmers were airlifted to safety. Local boaters also participated in the rescues. A total of 357 swimmers finished the race.[lxvii]
Shark Bites Woman’s Arm On October 5, 2003, a woman wading in the ocean checking a fishing net off Cove Park in Kīhei, Maui near Kalama Beach was bitten by a gray-colored shark estimated to be about 4½ feet long. The woman received injuries to her right index finger, right knee, and left thigh.
Barracuda Bites Man’s Arm In October of 2003, a man swimming in Maui’s Honolua Bay was bitten on the forearm by what was thought to have been a barracuda. The 6-inch wound required 40 stitches. When the attack occurred, the man was in nearshore murky waters about to swim farther offshore to snorkel in the clearer water. Barracudas, known in Hawaiian as kākū, have extremely sharp teeth, and have been known to bite people.[lxviii]
Girl Bitten by Shark
On October 31, 2003, a 13-year-old girl on Kaua‘i’s north shore lost her left arm to a large tiger shark at Makua (Tunnels) surf spot. A nearly 14-foot- (4.3-m-) long tiger shark was caught a few days later in Hanalei Bay, and was believed to have been the shark responsible for the attack.
Plane Crashes Offshore of Maui On November 16, 2003, a Coast Guard pilot flying his home-built, single engine Cozy III plane to San Francisco, crashed into the ocean off Maui’s north coast. The violent 90-mile per hour impact tore the plane apart. The pilot was able to inflate his life raft, but it was quickly popped by the sharp shards of wreckage. A Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter searched for 1½ hours in the region before locating the downed pilot 95 miles north of Maui. A Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander, he had been in the water about 3½ hours and suffered two broken vertebrae. He also had cuts and bruises, hypothermia, and chemical burns from floating fuel. Ironically, the pilot had trained the men who rescued him, and had eaten lunch with them just nine hours before the crash.[lxix]
Man Survives Plane Crash in Ocean On January 18, 2004, a 56-year-old man flying a home-built Van’s Aircraft RV-8 experimental airplane from O‘ahu to Kaua‘i crash landed in the ocean 25 miles southeast of Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i, about 60 miles from O‘ahu. The pilot was trapped in the upside-down cockpit after the impact inverted the plane and pinned the canopy shut. Underwater for about one minute, the pilot finally freed himself just before the plane sank. The downed pilot was a Coast Guard civilian volunteer who often flew his own plane. He had contacted air traffic controllers just before the crash, and a Coast Guard helicopter soon arrived and found the man treading water and clutching pieces of the wreckage. He was pulled up in a rescue basket.[lxx]
Surfer Dies in Banzai Pipeline Wipeout On January 19, 2004, a man from Japan was pulled unconscious from the ocean after a wipeout on a wave at the famous O‘ahu north shore surfing spot, Banzai Pipeline. A large swell had brought waves with faces in excess of 20 feet high, and the man had gone “over the falls” and been driven beneath the water. The powerful wave also broke his board in two. A fellow surfer retrieved the man after seeing the broken board floating above him, still attached to the victim by a leash. After the man was brought to shore lifeguards re-established a pulse, but he remained unconscious.[lxxi]
Shaking Baffles Kaua‘i Residents
On January 29, 2004 Kaua‘i’s police civil defense, news outlets, and military installations were inundated with reports by residents around the island of an extended shaking, though no one could explain the cause. Theories included earthquakes, sonic booms, distant thunder, a landslide, but no evidence of any of these causes was found[lxxii]
Three Perish in Air Ambulance Crash On Saturday, January 31, 2004, a Hawai‘i Air Ambulance plane crashed on Hawai‘i Island’s Mauna Kea volcano. The burned wreckage of the 26-year-old medical transport plane was found in heavily forested terrain two days later, on Monday morning, February 2, about 22 miles northwest of Hilo.[lxxiii]
Two Swept Off Shoreline Rocks On April 1, 2004, a man, a woman, and their 11-year-old son were standing on some shoreline rocks at Kaua‘i’s Lumaha‘i Beach when a rogue wave washed up onto the rocks and pulled the two adults into the ocean. The boy was knocked down, but remained on the rocks. Lifeguards arrived within minutes from nearby Hanalei Bay, and pulled the two adults from the water. Lifeguards attempted to revive the two drowning victims, but CPR and defibrillation were unsuccessful.[lxxiv]
Shark Kills Maui Surfer On April 7, 2004, a man surfing in murky waters at a spot called “S-Turns” about 250 yards offshore of Pōhaku Park in Kahana was killed by a shark. The man was bit in the upper thigh, suffering a 14-inch wound. Two people paddling out to surf heard the man yelling for help and provided assistance, but the victim died from loss of blood as he was being brought to shore.[lxxv]
Wave Sweeps Away Man at Olivine Pools On April 15, 2004, a 41-year-old man and his 14-year-old daughter visiting Maui were struck by a wave in the area known as Olivine Pools on Maui’s northwest shore. A helicopter was able to pull the girl from the ocean unharmed, but the man died and was later pulled from the water about 100 yards offshore. The man’s death was the fourth drowning death in the Islands in just two weeks. Just three days earlier, on Monday, April 12, a 61-year-old visitor from California was seeking to help his grandchildren in the ocean waters off Anahola, Kaua‘i when he drowned.[lxxvi]
Three Survive Plane Crash on Lava Field On April 18, 2004, a single-engine Piper Warrior tour plane crashed near Miloli‘i on Hawai‘i Island after being caught in a sudden, extreme downdraft also known as a microburst or wind shear. All three people aboard the plane survived. The plane was enveloped in thick clouds and heavy rain and the woman passenger said to the pilot, “We can’t see a thing.” As the plane emerged from the clouds the pilot was shocked to see that they were just above the trees, and the slope of Mauna Loa was directly in their path. The pilot said, “Oh my God, we’re too low, we’re going to crash. I’ve got the throttle pulled all the way back and won’t go up, we’re too low.” The pilot then crash-landed the craft on an old lava flow at an elevation of about 4,100 feet above sea level. The pilot called 911 for help using her cell phone, but could not pinpoint the location of the wreck. Five hours later rescuers found the wrecked plane with the fuselage completely burned. The rescue craft left with two of the survivors but was unable to locate the plane’s pilot. One Coast Guard rescuer stayed on the scene, and when the noise of the rescue craft subsided, the rescuer heard cries coming from the distant darkness. The pilot, who had hiked to seek help, was found about 150 yards (137 m) away at the bottom of a 100-foot (30 m) ravine. Her arm was severely burned, and her shoes had been melted by the flames, and she suffered further injuries when she fell into the hole. The two passengers suffered second-degree burns over much of their bodies. The pilot suffered additional burns trying to help one of the passengers out of the burning plane. Officials praised the pilot’s ability to successfully land the plane in the difficult conditions.[lxxvii]
Jellyfish Sting Hundreds in Waikīkī On July 11, 2004, more than 315 people at Waikīkī beaches were stung by jellyfish, along with 45 stung at other O‘ahu beaches, including Nānākuli and Mā‘ili beaches and Hanauma Bay. Multiple warning signs had been posted, but many ignored the warnings. The jellyfish are known to arrive on local beaches around the 10th day after a full moon.[lxxviii]
Shallow Water Blackout Kills Two On July 24, 2004 a man competing in the U.S. National Spearfishing Championships on O‘ahu’s north shore did not report back, and was later found dead. The champion spearfisherman died while about 85-feet deep about ¾-mile offshore of Hale‘iwa. The cause of death was likely a condition known as shallow water blackout, which is caused by oxygen deprivation. Another spearfisher died less than two weeks later offshore of Hawai‘i Island, likely from the same cause.[lxxix]
Monk Seal Bites Man on Rear On August 26, 2004, a man swimming at popular Po‘ipu Beach on Kaua‘i’s south shore was bitten on his rear end by a monk seal. He was not seriously hurt. About one week later the same seal lunged and barked at two swimmers. The mother had given birth about three weeks earlier, and the aggressive behavior was likely to protect the pup. Kaua‘i County officials had already closed off an area of the beach around the seal mother and pup, but the seal mother was swimming when the man was bit. This led authorities to expand the protected area and close off all of Po‘ipu Beach until the pup was weaned, several weeks later.[lxxx]
Falling Rock Kills Ranger
On September 14, 2004 a ranger for the National Park Service at Haleakalā National Park Service was killed when she was hit by an estimated two-foot diameter boulder that fell from about 40 feet above where the ranger was clearing a rockfall near the junction between Pi‘ilani and Hāna highways.[lxxxi]
Helicopter Crashes on Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale
On September 24, 2004, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger tour helicopter crashed into a mountain four miles south of Kaua‘i’s Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale at an elevation of about 3,500 feet, killing the four passengers and the pilot. The helicopter burned “beyond recognition” after impact on a nearly vertical slope about 200 feet below the mountain ridgeline, with wreckage sliding 20 to 30 feet down the mountain.
Coast Guard and Navy helicopters as well as eleven tour helicopters searched for the wreckage, which was discovered the next day Rescuers were not able to reach the site due to the weather and the precarious location. It was the first time that rescuers on Kaua‘i were not able to get to a crash site, with no place to set down the copter in the strong winds, and unable to rappel down the steep cliff face. An Army Black Hawk helicopter was brought in to recover the bodies in the trying conditions. Other helicopters, including a UH-1 Huey, were used to recover the wreckage and the fifth body. On October 1, rescue crews recovered the last body, which had been trapped under the heaviest part of the helicopter. The crash occurred in an area that was considered a shortcut to the next stop on the tour, Manawaipuna waterfall, also known as Jurassic Falls. The shortcut is considered safe if the pilot maintains a proper elevation.[lxxxii]
Shark Bites Spearfisher
On October 9, 2004 a 34-year-old O‘ahu man who was spearfishing was bitten on the left shoulder and face by an estimated 12-foot shark in murky waters outside Kūpeke Fishpond in southeast Moloka‘i.
At the time of the attack, the man was in water about four feet deep, and saw the shark as it approached him head on. The victim had caught some fish and they were trailing behind him attached to a cord about thirty feet long. “I remember this big force hitting me,” he recalled, “and this big shadow wrapping me up, and I remember just being shaken.”
As the shark returned the man hit it with his uncocked spear gun, and the shark swam away. Quickly losing blood, the victim used his wetsuit to help stop the bleeding. The wound was exacerbated, doctor’s said, by the “...shaking action of the shark’s clamped jaws.”
After the attack, the man was able to climb atop the wall of the fishpond before others spotted him and provided assistance. Several surgeries were required, including a reconstruction of the shoulder area.[lxxxiii]
Boat Capsizes, Killing Two
On October 15, 2004, two fishermen died after their 13-foot Boston Whaler capsized off O‘ahu’s Kewalo Basin. The bodies were retrieved after a search by 20 firefighters and rescue workers, including a Honolulu Fire Department helicopter and rescue boat with the help of the Coast Guard.[lxxxiv]
Plane Crashes on Haleakalā
In October of 2004, a twin engine Cessna 310 airplane crashed in a remote pasture at the 3,700-foot elevation on the slopes of Maui’s Haleakalā Volcano. The pilot was killed as he was thrown about thirty yards from the plane, which crashed in a fireball and started a brush fire. There were no passengers.[lxxxv]
Pilot Ditches Second Plane in Five Years
On November 5, 2004 a 67-year-old pilot flying from Hilo to American Samoa was forced to ditch his Cessna 182 airplane in the ocean about 700 miles south of Honolulu. The plane flipped over and the pilot was able to retrieve a life vest, strobe light, and mirror but not the emergency raft, and the plane quickly sank.
The pilot had reported engine trouble before the crash occurred at about 11:30 a.m. About seven hours later a Coast Guard C-130 plane located the downed pilot, calling it a near miracle that they were able to find him given the vast area they were searching. The man was treading water, and the Coast Guard dropped a raft, and he was able to climb in.
The Coast Guard arranged for the man to be picked up by a cargo container ship that was near the area. Amazingly, the same pilot had been forced to ditch another plane in 1999, when his Piper Cherokee airplane had an engine malfunction 300 miles (483 km) northeast of the Hawaiian Islands as he flew to Hilo from Florida. He floated for ten hours in a life vest before being spotted by a Korean-bound grain freighter.[lxxxvi]
Surf Photographer Dies at Banzai Pipeline On February 9, 2005 a well-known surf photographer died while taking photos in the water at O‘ahu’s famous Banzai Pipeline. A west swell was occurring at the time, and may have created dangerous currents that swept the 33-year-old onto a shallow reef area. The same man had been bitten by a shark in 1993 offshore of Goat Island in Mālaekahana, requiring 30 stitches on each foot.[lxxxvii]
Shark Rams Surfboard On February 16, 2005, a man surfing on O‘ahu’s north shore was struck from below by an estimated 8-foot-long tiger shark. The incident occurred about 40 yards from Rocky Point at Sunset Beach. The shark hit the board so hard it knocked the wind out of the surfer, who then tried to swim away while kicking at the shark. The man was able to get back on his surfboard and get to shore safely. After the attack the beaches were closed from Sunset Beach to Pipeline.[lxxxviii]
Chute Malfunction Kills Skydiver On February 6, 2005, a skydiver died when his main parachute malfunctioned over Mokulē‘ia on O‘ahu’s north shore. The chute suffered a “line-over malfunction,” involving one of the chute’s lines looping over the top of the chute. The Pearl Harbor sailor had 171 jumps logged and was attempting to open his backup chute when he crashed onto the beach. The main chute was deployed at an elevation less than 2,000 feet, leaving little time to react to a chute failure. At about 450 feet he jettisoned the main chute and then at about 250 feet he pulled the handle on his reserve chute. The lines came out but there was not enough time for the parachute to deploy. Beginning divers usually deploy their chutes at elevation of more than 3,500 feet so there is more time to react in case of a mishap.[lxxxix] In 2002 a male tandem instructor and an 18-year-old woman died when their main and reserve chutes failed over Mokulē‘ia. Another death occurred in 1998 when a well-known skydiving stunt performer crashed into a banana field near Dillingham Airfield after his backup chute became entangled with his main chute.
Boulder Smashes into Home On [Monday before 3/9/05] a four-foot-diameter boulder estimated to weigh about 450 pounds crashed into a home in O‘ahu’s Palolo Valley. After the boulder came barreling into the home it then crashed through another wall and came to rest in a bedroom closet. The home’s occupants were in the living room when the incident occurred. Less than a year earlier a similar sized rock had rolled down the hill above and just missed the home. Some earlier boulder incidents in the Hawaiian Islands include a two-ton boulder crashing through a home’s roof in 1954, a one-ton boulder hitting a home in 1958, a car crushed in 1961, and a boulder smashed into the corner of a home in 1993.[xc]
Glider Crash Kills One, Two Survive On April 6, 2005, an O‘ahu tour glider crashed on a mountain above Dillingham Airfield, killing the 22-year-old pilot. The plane, a Schweitzer 2-33, apparently hit a downdraft and was able to pull out of it, but then immediately hit another downdraft. The region in which the crash occurred is known by pilots as the “toilet bowl” due to unpredictable winds “flushing” up and down the hillsides. The plane’s two passengers, a 52-year-old man and his 12-year-old daughter, survived. The two were strapped into their seats and trapped in the overturned craft for more than two hours as they waited for rescuers to arrive. They suffered only scrapes and bruises. Initially the passengers could hear the pilot breathing, but were unable to help him. Eventually rescuers arrived and the two survivors were extricated from the plane and airlifted from the scene. The pilot had received his commercial pilot’s license just weeks before the accident.[xci]
Mother and Infant Survive Cliff Plunge On April 13, 2005, two people survived and two died when a car plunged nearly 200 feet down a cliff in West Maui. The driver of the car had pulled off at a roadside lookout along the Honoapi‘ilani Highway, and then when leaving the area the driver inadvertently went off the edge. The car came to rest upside down on the rocky beach below. Killed in the crash were a 34-year-old woman and 18-year-old man. The survivors of the crash included a 16-year-old mother and her three-month-old daughter. The mother was thrown from the vehicle as it fell, and was able to cling to a rock on the cliffside, suffering only minor abrasions. Her infant daughter was strapped into a child safety seat in the back of the car. The child was flown to a hospital on O‘ahu, but suffered only bruises.[xcii]
Shark Bites Surfboard
On May 2, 2005, a man surfing in Maui’s Kū‘au Bay was knocked off his surfboard by a shark that bumped into his ankle and bit into his board. Surfing the spot commonly known as Noriega’s, the man was about 200 feet offshore when the incident occurred, and he saw “...a shark’s gray head, about 18 inches wide, gnawing on the board.” Hammerhead sharks had been seen birthing in the area two days earlier, but it remains unsure what type of shark bit the man’s board. The 7-foot-10-inch surfboard was left with six tooth marks.[xciii]
Shark Bites Surfboard In October of 2005, an eight-foot (2.4 m) shark jumped from the water and bit the board of a surfer, then proceeded to thrash the board back and forth as the surfer struggled to stay on. The surfer then hit the shark in the nose and attempted to push the shark away. The shark let go and left.[xciv]
Needlefish Impales Man On July 21, 2005 a blue crocodile needlefish about 4½-feet long impaled a 19-year-old man in the stomach. The victim recalled, “when I looked down, all I saw was eyes and teeth, and it drove right through my chest.”[xcv] Suffering damage to his liver, the victim was taken to Queen’s Hospital. Needlefish are long and slender, and sometimes skip along the water’s surface. The impaled man was spearfishing in water about seven feet deep when the attack occurred. Experts say such an attack is most likely to occur at night when a light is being used, as was the case in this attack. After impaling the man the needlefish wriggled loose. The victim underwent surgery and spent three days in intensive care.
Helicopter Crash into Ocean Kills Three, Two Survive On September 23, 2005, a Heli USA helicopter crashed in the ocean off Hā‘ena. A man and two women died in the crash. The pilot and two other passengers, a married couple, survived. The pilot claimed he maneuvered his helicopter to avoid an oncoming helicopter. The other two survivors, gave a different account, claiming they did not see any oncoming helicopter. The pilot was later charged with two counts of reckless endangering and one count each of tampering with evidence and providing a false statement to authorities.
Airplane Crashes on Haleakalā
In October of 2005, a twin-engine Cessna 310 airplane crashed on Maui’s Haleakalā Volcano. The crash occurred at about 9:30 p.m. at about the 3,700-foot elevation of the volcano. The pilot was a former employee of United Airlines, had more than 20,000 hours of flight time logged.
Surfer Dies at Banzai Pipeline
On December 2, 2005, a professional surfer died while surfing Banzai Pipeline on O‘ahu’s north shore. The surfer had dropped down the face of the wave when the lip broke and hit him directly from above, ripping his leash off his leg and breaking his board.
When the surfer failed to surface after the wipeout, numerous people ran from the beach into the water and then formed a human chain to search the victim. He was found about ten minutes later about 200 yards east of where the incident occurred.[xcvi]
Shark Attacks Swimmer
On December 21, 2005, a swimmer was attacked by a shark losing his pinkie finger and the top of his ring finger and the side of the palm of his hand. The attack occurred about 400 yards off of Keawakapu Beach on south Maui.
The victim swam part way to shore before being assisted by some surfers and boogie boarders. He saw the shark come up from below, and noted its gray surface and white stomach.
Not long after the attack a 12-foot-long tiger shark was spotted in the area by a fire rescue helicopter. The next day an 8-foot-long tiger shark was spotted by a county helicopter about one mile away, temporarily keeping local beaches closed.[xcvii]
Two Planes Collide in Midair During Refueling Exercise On December 22, 2005, a C-17 cargo aircraft collided with a fuel-laden Hawai‘i Air National Guard KC-135R tanker aircraft during refueling training about 200 miles off O‘ahu. The accident sent the Air Guard plane into a dive as the crew responded while in a zero-gravity drop. The tail of the Air guard plane sustained minor structural damage.[xcviii]
[i] Historical accounts of the events that occurred at Nu‘uanu Pali vary considerably, and it is possible that some warriors jumped off the precipice rather than surrender. The number of soldiers that died at the head of Nu‘uanu Pali is also uncertain, with estimates varying from 300 to more than 2,000. [ii]BarbersPoint Beachmemorializes tyrannical captain’s miscalculation. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/29/2004. [iii] Known as a hermaphrodite brig, Cleopatra’s Barge had a main mast that was square-rigged while the fore and aft sails were rigged on the mizzen. [iv] p. 102, Joesting, Edward. Kauai: The Separate Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press, 1984.
[vi] Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H., and Mookini, Esther T. Mookini. Place Names of Hawaii: Revised & Expanded Edition. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1974. [vii] Hoover, Will. The day Hawai‘i really took off. The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/17/2003. Accessed 5/15/2004 at Internet site: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Dec/17/ln/ln10a.html, 5/15/2004. [viii] Hoover, Will. The day Hawai‘i really took off. The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/17/2003. Accessed 5/15/2004 at Internet site: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Dec/17/ln/ln10a.html, 5/15/2004. [ix] Hoover, Will. 1993 attack cost life of beloved zoo star. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/20/2004. [x]1944 was year of disaster. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2/08/2004. [xi]1944 was year of disaster. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2/08/2004. [xii] Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H., and Mookini, Esther T. Mookini. Place Names of Hawaii: Revised & Expanded Edition. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1974. [xiii] Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H., and Mookini, Esther T. Mookini. Place Names of Hawaii: Revised & Expanded Edition. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1974. [xiv] Updates on volcanic activity may be seen at the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park website (www.nps.gov/havo) and the United States Geological Service (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov). [xv]More warnings needed by Hālona Blowhole. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/5/2002. [xvi]Aloha Flight 243: Air Disaster. Internet site: http://www.disastercity.com/flt243/index.htm, 9/01/2001. [xvii] Kubota, Gary T., and Bernardo, Rosemarie. Shark kills surfer, 57, off Maui: A Napili man dies from loss of blood after being attacked at about 7:05 a.m. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/08/2004. [xviii] Kubota, Gary T., and Bernardo, Rosemarie. Shark kills surfer, 57, off Maui: A Napili man dies from loss of blood after being attacked at about 7:05 a.m. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/08/2004. [xix] [Facts to be added.] [xx] [Facts to be added.] [xxi] Kubota, Gary T., and Bernardo, Rosemarie. Shark kills surfer, 57, off Maui: A Napili man dies from loss of blood after being attacked at about 7:05 a.m. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/08/2004. Wilson, Christie. Shark kills surfer off Maui. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/8/2004. [xxii] Wilson, Christie. The perils of Kīlauea: Lava shelf’s collapse on Sunday came with no warning. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6/15/2004. [xxiii] Hoover, Will. Slain elephant left tenuous legacy in animal rights: Deadly rampage by Tyke 10 years ago remembered vividly. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/20/2004.
[xxv]Bodyboarder loses foot in shark attack: Brennecke Beach site of latest incident. The Garden Island, 3/26/2004. [xxvi] Wilson, Christie. The perils of Kīlauea: Lava shelf’s collapse on Sunday came with no warning. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6/15/2004. [xxvii] TenBruggencate, Jan. Pilot on fatal tour flight said ‘I can’t see.’ The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/12/2001. [xxviii] Wilson, Christie. Shark kills surfer off Maui. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/08/2004. [xxix]Death certificate issued in honeymooner’s disappearance. Kaua‘i: The Garden Island, 6/24/01. [xxx] Waite, David. Man recalls deadly day at Sacred Falls: 30 sue state over 1999 tragedy. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/02/2001. [xxxi] Wright, Walter. Pilot faulted for crash that killed him, 9 others. The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/02/2001. [xxxii] Kubota, Gary. Surfer escapes shark’s jaws on Maui. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 5/03/2005. [xxxiii] Hurley, Timothy. 5 safe in plane’s sea landing: Cessna ditched off coast of Big Island. The Honolulu Advertiser, 5/19/2001.
Clark, Hugh. Crash victim’s body found: Salvage crews lift wreckage from Hilo Bay. The Honolulu Advertiser. [xxxiv]Cause of death of hikers on lava flow determined. The Honolulu Advertiser. [xxxv] Lum, Curtis. Jail possible for golf ball incident: Ex-UH student found guilty of injuring girl. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/11/2001. [xxxvi] Ehime families sign $13 M settlement. The Honolulu Advertiser, 11/14/2002. [xxxvii] TenBruggencate, Jan. Young humpback jumps, falls on tourist. The Honolulu Advertiser, 2/15/2001. [xxxviii] Cole, William. Army releases crash report: Pilot of one Black Hawk blamed. Honolulu: Honolulu Advertiser, 08/12/2001. Months after the accident, the widow of the crew took her two young sons to the crash site on the day before Father’s Day, and to her great alarm she found a jawbone at the crash site. This prompted another search of the area, which recovered a credit card, a wedding ring, and more bones. Gordon, Mike, and Cole, William. Army copter pilot blamed: Findings in fatal collision anger families. Honolulu: Honolulu Advertiser, 08/11/2001. [xxxix]Missing Big Island woman found dead. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/26/2001. [xl] Wright, Walter. Diver found safe after 16 hours at sea. O‘ahu: Honolulu Advertiser, 4/09/2001. [xli] Hurley, Timothy. 5 safe in plane’s sea landing: Cessna ditched off coast of Big Island.The Honolulu Advertiser, 5/19/2001. ****[xlii]****Ishikawa, Scott. Crash survivor to be interviewed: Plane wreckage studied on Lāna‘i. Honolulu: Honolulu Advertiser, 06/17/2001. Report: Student pilot may have made wrong turn.Kaua‘i: The Garden Island, 07/17/2001. TenBruggencate, Jan. Board finds few clues to Lāna‘i plane crash. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6/29/2001. TenBruggencate, Jan, and Dayton, Kevin. Findings on 3 air crashes released. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/01/2004. [xliii]Man rescued off Ni‘ihau after swimming 11 hours. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6/09/2001. [xliv] Curtis, Paul C. Two hurt after leaping from Wailua Falls. The Garden Island, 6/27/2000. Sprague, Brandon. Third victim within 24-hour period is in stable condition. The Garden Island, 6/28/2000. [xlv] Clark, Hugh. Luck follows man over Kīlauea rim: Tree breaks 85-foot fall by Navy officer as he runs after hat. O‘ahu: Honolulu Advertiser, 8/06/01. Clark, Hugh. Navy lieutenant survives fall into volcano. Honolulu Advertiser, 8/06/2001. Man survives fall into Kilauea. Kaua‘i: The Garden Island, 8/06/01. [xlvi] Lum, Curtis. Helicopter crash-lands in Kea‘au: All aboard escape serious injury as fire destroys chopper. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/29/2001. Wright, Walter. Severe engine failure blamed in Big Island helicopter crash-landing. The Honolulu Advertiser, 11/02/2001. [xlvii]Hiker killed on Maui identified. The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/31/2001. [xlviii] Windrow, John. 3 boys ride out Makīkī Stream: Water sweeps two a half-mile away. The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/27/2002. [xlix] Ishikawa, Scott. Teen hospitalized after eating plant. The Honolulu Advertiser, 2/22/2002. [l] Blakeman, Karen, and Hoover, Will. Diver discovers human leg off Hanauma Bay. The Honolulu Advertiser, 3/03/2002. [li] Clark, Hugh. Crash survivor recalls ordeal: Man found in tree after truck plummets 300 feet off cliff. The Honolulu Advertiser, 3/19/2002. [lii]Bodyboarder loses foot in shark attack: Brennecke Beach site of latest incident. The Garden Island, 3/26/2004. [liii]More warnings needed by Hālona Blowhole. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/5/2002. [liv] Hurley, Timothy. Rescued kayaker happy to be back. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/01/2002. [lv]Firefighter rescued from inside lava tube. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/13/2002. [lvi] Thompson, Rod. Hilocrews lift 5 out of lava hole: the explorers found they lacked the gear and strength to get out. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 9/25/2002. [lvii] The Garden Island, 1/07/2003. [lviii] Leidemann, Mike. Pilot judgment faulted in crash: Teen overreached ability, safety board finds. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/1/2004. [lix] Kubota, Gary T. Hopes dim in Maui flood search: Rescuers will keep looking for two visitors who likely died in flash floods. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/12/2003. [lx] Wilson, Christie. Marlin spears whale expert off Maui. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/16/2003. [lxi] Kubota, Gary T. NTSB cites cargo cable in 2003 copter crash. The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/30/2004. [lxii] TenBruggencate, Jan. 4 rescued in Kaua‘i sea cave: Lifeguards use teamwork, timing to save lives. The Honolulu Advertiser, 5/28/2003. [lxiii] Dayton, Kevin. Visitor bitten by eel sues resort: Mauna Lani pond called a hazard. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/01/2004. [lxiv] Espanol, Zenaida Serrano. Fewer stung as jellyfish leave shores. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6/25/2003. [lxv] Briscoe, David. Crash blamed on too little analysis: NASA says the Helios, which plummeted off Kauai, was not suited for turbulence. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 9/04/2004. Sommer, Anthony. Bad vibes still rank as Helios affliction. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/11/2003. TenBruggencate, Jan. ‘Severe’ bending seen in solar craft: Reason for loss of stability unclear. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/11/2003. [lxvi] Apgar, Sally. Rescuer held hand as crash victim died: Bad weather kept the woman from getting from the helicopter to the Kauai hospital. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/27/2003. At crash site, woman clung to life. The Garden Island, 7/28/2003. Chang, Lester. Crash wreckage recovered from Wai‘ale‘ale Crater: Helicopter slid several hundred feet before stopping. The Garden Island, 7/27/2003. Chang, Lester. Four bodies recovered from crash site. The Garden Island, 7/25/2003. Chang, Lester. Helicopter crashes into Wai‘ale‘ale Crater: Five dead including woman who dies after surviving impact. The Garden Island, 7/24/2003. Cook, Chris. Copter crash wreckage salvage nearly complete: FAA could suggest tour helicopter changes. The Garden Island, 7/28/2003. Most of helicopter wreckage recovered. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/28/2003. TenBruggencate, Jan. Helicopter crash on Kaua‘i kills pilot, 4 tourists. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/24/2003. 5 die in Kauai copter crash: A rescue helicopter is scheduled to try today to recover the bodies. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/24/2003. [lxvii]360 need rescuing in Roughwater Swim. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/02/2003. [lxviii]Barracuda suspected in attack off Maui. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 10/27/2003. Fish bite leads to 40 stitches for Maui man. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/27/2003. Hurley, Timothy. Mauiman pledges caution after bite from sea creature. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/28/2003. Scott, Susan. Ocean Watch: Researcher experiences fish’s ferocity. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin. [lxix] Boylan, Peter. Pilot survives crash off Maui: Coast Guard crew rescues buddy at sea. The Honolulu Advertiser, 11/17/2003. Hurley, Timothy. Rescued pilot embarrassed, but glad to be alive. The Honolulu Advertiser, 11/18/2003. Kubota, Gary T. Thoughts of wife, kids kept him afloat: William Swears felt sheepish as his own unit rescued him. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 10/18/2003. [lxx] Blakeman, Karen. Pilot OK after ocean rescue: Coast Guard makes save southeast of Līhu‘e. The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/19/2004. Fujimori, Leila. Home-built airplane crashes off Kauai: The pilot is safe and in good condition after being rescued by the Coast Guard. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1/19/2004. [lxxi] Gordon, Mike. Surfer dies 11 days after Banzai Pipeline wipeout. The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/31/2004. [lxxii] TenBruggencate, Jan. Mysterious shudder has Kaua‘i residents abuzz: Quake, sonic boom, thunder suspected. The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/31/2004. [lxxiii] Vorsino, Mary. NTSB investigators comb crash site: Pieces of wreckage found on the Big Isle will be examined at Hilo airport hangar. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2/05/2004. [lxxiv] TenBruggencate, Jan. Kaua’i wave kills couple, spares son. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/02/2004. [lxxv] Wilson, Christie. Shark kills surfer off Maui. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/08/2004. Kubota, Gary T., and Bernardo, Rosemarie. Shark kills surfer, 57, off Maui. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/08/2004. [lxxvi] Hurley, Timothy. Californian drowns off Maui: Man becomes fourth tourist to die in ocean in two weeks. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/16/2004. [lxxvii] Vorsino, Mary. Tour plane crashes on Big Isle; 3 injured. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/19/2004. Dayton, Kevin. Plane-crash survivors endure painful recovery: Nearly 1 year later, Ohio couple faces huge medical bills. The Honolulu Advertiser, 3/06/2005. Dayton, Kevin. Skills praised of pilot caught in “downdraft.” The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/22/2004. Dayton, Kevin, and Boylan, Peter. “I couldn’t believe anyone survived”: Plane crash rescue recounted. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/20/2004 [lxxviii] Gonser, James. Jellyfish invasion hits bathers hard: Watch eases after 318 swimmers stung Sunday in Waikīkī. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/13/2004. Bernardo, Rosemarie. Box jellyfish sting more than 300: Safety officials say swimmers are disregarding signs posted in Waikiki. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/12/2004. [lxxix] Vorsino, Mary. Diver dies in tournament: A search turns up the body of a champion spearfisherman in 80 too 90 feet of water. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/25/2004. Big Island man dies while free diving. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/06/2004. [lxxx] TenBruggencate, Jan. Monk seal on Kaua‘i bites pushy tourist in the butt. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/27/2004. [lxxxi] Hurley, Timothy. Boulderkills Maui ranger: Seasonal worker was clearing rockfall when she was struck. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/15/2004. [lxxxii] Chang, Lester. Five missing in helicopter crash. The Garden Island, 9/26/2004. Finnegan, Tom. ...grounded another day. The Garden Island, 9/27/2004. Finnegan, Tom. Last helicopter victim retrieved: Authorities officially confirm identities of five victims. The Garden Island, 10/02/2004. TenBruggencate, Jan. Copter ‘ran into mountain’: Rescuers will try to recover bodies today from Kaua‘i cliffside. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/26/2004. TenBruggencate, Jan. Copter wreckage yields few clues so far: Pilot may have been taking shortcut to Kaua‘i waterfall. The Garden Island, 10/05/2004. TenBruggencate, Jan. 5th body pulled from crash: Federal investigators to look into number of recent accidents. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/02/2004. [lxxxiii] Aguiar, Eloise. Doctors operate on shark victim. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/16/2004. Aguiar, Eloise. Shark victim facing surgeries: Friend who came to aid feared blood loss would prove fatal. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/12/2004. Boylan, Peter. Moloka‘i shark victim saw shoulder ‘gone’: Pearl Harbor worker will be moved to O‘ahu hospital today. Hoover, Will. Shark attack victim facing long recovery. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/20/2004. Shark attacks diver off Moloka‘i. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/10/2004. Vorsino, Mary. Shark attacks diver off Molokai: The Kaneohe man is airlifted too Maui with deep lacerations. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 10/10/2004. [lxxxiv] Waite, David, and Hoover, Will. Boat capsizes, 2 bodies found: Fishing buddies were on outing off Kewalo Basin. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/16/2004. [lxxxv] Hurley, Timothy. Plane crash probe to begin: Pilot killed; fireball on Haleakalā seen from miles away. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/19/2004. Pilot was owner of aviation company: Ward Mareels also was well respected as male midwife. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/20/2004. [lxxxvi] Boylan, Peter. Safety gear paid off in pilot’s 2nd rescue at sea. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/06/2004. [lxxxvii] Hoover, Will. Photographer dies at Pipeline. The Honolulu Advertiser, 2/10/2005. [lxxxviii] Fujimori, Leila. Shark bumps surfer on North Shore: An estimated 8-foot tiger shark surprises the professional surfer off Rocky Point. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2/17/2005. [lxxxix] Nakaso, Dan. Skydiving accident kills Pearl sailor, 24. The Honolulu Advertiser, 2/07/2004. [xc] Bernardo, Rosemarie. Bouldercrash worries Palolo neighborhood. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 3/09/2005. [xci] Lum, Curtis, and Boylan, Peter. Crash kills pilot; dad, child survive: Pair stuck in glider wreckage signal for help with camera. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/07/2005. Vorsino, Mary. Pilot is killed in tour glider crash: Two passengers of the newly licensed pilot are rescued from the Mokuleia wreck. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/07/2005. [xcii] Hurley, Timothy. Infant, teen mom survive car plunge: Two others killed after vehicle dives off West Maui cliff. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/14/2005. Kubota, Gary T. 2 killed in plunge off Maui cliff: A teen and her baby survive the car’s slide from a turnoff past the Lahaina pali lookout. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/14/2005. [xciii] Hurley, Timothy. Surfer ‘shaken up’ after shark rams him on Maui: Kū‘au Bay beaches closed until at least this morning. The Honolulu Advertiser, 5/03/2005. Kubota, Gary. Surfer escapes shark’s jaws on Maui. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 5/03/2005. [xciv]Mauisurfer tangles with 8-foot shark. The Garden Island, 10/17/05. [xcv] Moreno, Loren. Needlefish victim recalls attack: Fisherman, still in pain, not sure if he’ll dive again. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/30/2005. [xcvi] Lum, Curtis. Top surfer dies at Pipeline: Tahitian Malik Joyeux well known on North Shore. [xcvii] Kubota, Gary T. Shark sighting forces more beach closures: Maui spots could reopen today after officials meet. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 12/23/2005. [xcviii] Cole, William. Air tragedy averted 200 miles off O‘ahu: Hickam commander one of pilots in C-17 tanker collision. The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/28/2005.
Incidents of Disaster and Survival in the Hawaiian Islands
Earthquakes—Landslides—Tsunamis—Volcanoes—Hurricanes—Sharks—Barracudas—Marlins—Eels—Humpback Whales—Hurricanes—Shipwrecks—Waterfall Leaps —
Ocean Rescues—Molten Lava—Cliff Falls—Elephant Attacks —
Errant Golf Balls—Astronauts—Hot Air Balloons —
Jellyfish—Blowholes—Helicopters —
Airplanes—Submarines —
Frank Sinatra!Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Pre-1800
Eruption Kills Warriors (1790)
The Battle of Nu‘uanu (1795)
Shipwreck on Barbers Point (1796)
1800s
Volcanoes Erupt (1800)Carpenter Survives Shipwreck (1822)
Royal Shipwreck in Hanalei Bay (1824)
The Saga of the Kamehameha and the Becket (1829)Tsunami Strikes Hilo (1837)
The Sinking of the Paalua (1845)
Hurricane Hits Maui (1850)
Mauna Loa Eruptions (1852)
The Wreck of the Steamship West Point (1856)
Local Earthquake Causes Landslide and Tsunami (1868)
The Shipwreck of the U.S.S. Saginaw (1870)
Hurricane Hits Islands (1871)
Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island (1877)
Eruption Threatens Hilo, Princess Responds (1880)
Fire Engulfs Chinatown (1886)
Balloon Flight is Hawai‘i’s First Air Fatality (1889)
1900-1990
Second Fire Devastates Chinatown (1900)
Hawai‘i’s First Airplane Crash (1911)
Submarine Sinks in Pearl Harbor (1915)
Seven Ships Set Afire in Honolulu Harbor (1916)
Hawai‘i’s First Aviation Fatality (1918)
Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island and Maui (1923)
Crater Erupts (1924)
First Civilian Trans-Pacific Flight Crashes (1927)
Disaster at Dole Air Derby (1927)
Torrential Rains Break Dam (1930)
Army Bombs Lava Flow (1930)
Elephant Attacks Trainer (1933)
Japanese Planes Attack Pearl Harbor (1941)
Japanese Submarine Attacks Army Ship (1942)
The Battle of Midway Atoll (1942)
Shipwreck at Midway (1944)
Ammunition Explosions Take Lives (1944)
Bomber Planes Collide (1944)
Plane Crashes into Ocean (1944)
Plane Disappears, Memorial Built (1945)
April Fools Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island (1946)
Mauna Loa Eruption Destroys Homes (1950)
Military Air Transport Crashes (1955)
Tsunami Strikes Kaua‘i (1957)
Air Force Bomber Hits Mountain (1957)
Hurricane Nina Strikes (1957)
Hurricane Dot Hits Kaua‘i (1959)
Kīlauea Volcano Erupts at Summit (1959)
Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island (1960)
Sigma 7 Spacecraft Plunges into Pacific (1962)
Tsunami Strikes Islands of Hawai‘i and Maui (1964)
Frank Sinatra Rescued on Kaua‘i (1964)
Moon Walkers Arrive in Pearl Harbor (1969)
Kīlauea Eruption Pours into Sea (1971)
Earthquake Shakes Hilo (1973)
Tsunami Strikes Halapē on Hawai‘i Island (1975)
Hurricane ‘Iwa Brings 100 m.p.h. Winds (1982)
Kīlauea Volcano Begins Current Eruption (1983)
Mauna Loa Eruption Threatens Hilo (1984)
Man Killed at Hālona Blowhole (1986)
Hurricane Estelle Strikes Islands (1986)
Woman Sucked Out of Plane (1988)
1990s
Lava Flow Buries Kalapana (1990)
Shark Attacks Woman (1991)
Bodyboarder Disappears, Board Bitten (1992)
Helicopter Crashes on Haleakalā (1992)
Hurricane ‘Iniki Slams Kaua‘i (1992)
Helicopter Crashes on Haleakalā (1992)
Shark Attacks Bodyboarder (1992)
Helicopter Crashes (1993)
Lava Shelf Collapse Claims Victim (1993)
Helicopter Crashes into Ocean (1993)
Elephant Goes on Rampage (1994)
Plane Crashes in ‘Īao Valley (1995)
Waterfall Jump Fatal (1995)
Shark Attacks Surfer (1997)Man Killed in Slide Down Lava Cone (1998)
Helicopter Crashes in Crater of Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale (1998)
Shark Bites Swimmer (1999)Honeymooner Attacked by Shark (1999)
Landslide at Sacred Falls (1999)Plane Crashes on Mauna Loa (1999)
Jet Crashes on Moloka‘i (2000)
Helicopter Crashes at the Base of ‘Īao Valley (2000)
Helicopter Crashes in ‘Īao Valley (2000)
Shark Bites Windsurfer (2000)
Eight Survive, One Dies in Plane Crash (2000)
Shark Bites Snorkeler (2000)
Two Boys Survive Being Swept Downstream (2000)
Volcanic Gasses Kill Two (2000)
2001Golf Ball Injures Baseball Player
Submarine Crashes into Fishing Boat
Breaching Whale Lands on Tourist
Soldiers Die in Crash of Black Hawk HelicoptersShark Bites Bodyboarder
Woman Falls into Lava Tube
Diver Lost and Found at Sea
Shark Bites Surfer’s HandPit Bulls Attack Horse
Five Survive Plane Crash in Ocean off Hāmākua Coast
Plane Crashes on Lāna‘i
Man Attempts Swim to Ni‘ihauThree Survive 80-Foot Descent at Waterfall
Man Chasing Hat Falls Into Volcano
Five Survive Fiery Helicopter CrashShark Bites Man’s Surfboard
Fatal Fall on Maui
2002
Shark Bites Snorkeler
Angel’s Trumpet Flower Causes Incoherent Babbling
Human Leg Found on Reef
Truck Goes Off Waipi‘o Cliff
Geyser Takes Life
Kayaker Adrift for Four Days is Rescued
Shark Bites Boy
100-Foot Fall into Lava Tube Injures Rescue Worker
Five Rescued from Lava Tube
Shark Bites Surfboard
Shark Bites Woman’s Foot
Shark Bites Woman’s Arm
2003
Man Survives 200-Foot Fall Down Cliff
Student Pilot Crashes on Moloka‘i
Flash Flood Sweeps Away Man and Daughter
Marlin Spears Whale Researcher
Shark Bites Swimmer’s Leg
Load Line Causes Helicopter Crash
Four Rescued from Sea Cave
Helicopter Crashes at Volcanoes National Park
Jellyfish Invade O‘ahu Beaches
Dolphins Flee as Shark Bites Man’s Foot
Solar Aircraft Crashes into Ocean
Helicopter Crashes on Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale
360 Swimmers Rescued in Roughwater Competition
Shark Bites Woman’s Arm
Barracuda Bites Man’s Arm
Plane Crashes Offshore of Maui
2004
Man Survives Plane Crash in Ocean
Surfer Dies in Banzai Pipeline Wipeout
Shaking Baffles Kaua‘i Residents
Three Perish in Air Ambulance Crash
Two Swept Off Shoreline Rocks
Shark Kills Maui Surfer
Wave Sweeps Away Man at Olivine Pools
Three Survive Plane Crash on Lava Field
Jellyfish Sting Hundreds in Waikīkī
Shallow Water Blackout Kills Two
Monk Seal Bites Man on Rear
Falling Rock Kills Ranger
Helicopter Crashes on Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale
Shark Bites Spearfisher
Boat Capsizes, Killing Two
Plane Crashes on Haleakalā
Pilot Ditches Second Plane in Five Years
Surf Photographer Dies at Banzai Pipeline
Shark Rams Surfboard
Chute Malfunction Kills Skydiver
Boulder Smashes into Home
Glider Crash Kills One, Two Survive
Mother and Infant Survive Cliff Plunge
Shark Bites Surfboard
Needlefish Impales Man
Airplane Crashes on Haleakalā
Surfer Dies at Banzai Pipeline
Shark Attacks Swimmer
Incidents of Disaster and Survival in the Hawaiian Islands
Preface
The remote location of the Hawaiian Islands, as well as the diverse geographical features and often unpredictable weather, create many dangerous situations. In this book there are stories of bravery and incredible courage, and remarkable tales of survival despite great odds. Many of the events involve great tragedy, loss of life, and profound heartbreak for families and loved ones.
For adventurous persons active in the Hawaiian Islands today, these accounts will serve as a reminder to avoid perilous situations. Many stories of survival are inspiring, revealing the importance of inner strength and fortitude. Names are not mentioned in respect of those who have perished, yet this book is a tribute to all the unfortunate souls mentioned here, as well as those who survived.
Introduction
The Hawaiian Islands are a place of spectacular beauty, but sometimes that beauty comes at a price. Many natural forces are at work in the Islands—earthquakes wrack and topple buildings, volcanic eruptions and landslides bury homes, tsunamis wash away whole villages, and hurricanes devastate whole islands.
The plenteous rain in the Hawaiian Islands keeps the islands green and the waterfalls flowing, yet the rains make rivers rise rapidly and bring floods that sweep many to their deaths. Steep and treacherous terrain claims the lives of hikers, hunters, and other mountain adventurers.
The ocean surrounding the Hawaiian Islands is a source of great enjoyment for fishermen, and beachgoers, yet it cuts short hundreds of lives, and many vanish without a trace. Big waves and strong currents make ocean rescues commonplace, but the lifeguards can’t be everywhere, and over the decades many hundreds of visitors and residents have drowned, including 71 in 2004.
Sharks are another worry for swimmers, surfers, bodyboarders, snorkelers, and scuba divers. Since 1779 there have been more than 117 documented shark attacks on humans in Hawaiian waters. Various other ocean creatures have also bitten people—eels, marlins, barracudas, and monk seals, to name a few.
Some brave Hawaiian souls have perished in the midst of heroism. Eddie Aikau paddled his surfboard toward Lāna‘i from the overturned Hōkūle‘a voyaging canoe to seek help for his stranded crewmates—the crew was rescued but Eddie Aikau was never seen again. This book recounts that story and many other stories of disaster and survival in the Hawaiian Islands.
Eruption Kills Warriors
In 1790 on Hawai‘i Island, the chief Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula and his warriors headed for Ka‘ū after plundering the Waipi‘o, Kohala, and Waimea lands of the rising warrior Kamehameha. As they passed over an area near Kīlauea Volcano, a chance eruption at the volcanically active area now known as Halema‘uma‘u Fire Pit spewed ash and poisonous gasses over many of Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula’s group.
The volcanic explosion of Halema‘uma‘u rained down hot cinders along with a thick shroud of acidic smoke that burned and suffocated many of Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula’s people, killing warriors as well as women and children. Footprints visible at the site are said to be from the event but others dispute this claim.
The Battle of Nu‘uanu
In April of 1795, the rising warrior Kamehameha set sail from Moloka‘i to invade O‘ahu. Kamehameha had about 960 canoes as well as 20 armed foreign ships, cannons, and an estimated 16,000 soldiers. Allied against Kamehameha were the forces of O‘ahu’s chief Kalanikūpule, an estimated 9,000 warriors, along with more warriors led by the chief Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula [Ka‘iana], who had deserted Kamehameha.
Kamehameha’s troops landed on O‘ahu’s southern shores from Waikīkī to Wai’alae and marched to Nu‘uanu where they overpowered the O‘ahu forces. Many of the fleeing warriors climbed the sides of Nu‘uanu Valley, while others retreated up to the head of the valley and were confronted by Kamehameha’s soldiers at the precipitous edge of the pali (cliff). Many O‘ahu warriors were either driven over the edge of the cliff or jumped, meeting their death on the rocks hundreds of feet below.[i]
[Illustration: Nu‘uanu Pali battle scene]
Overall, it is estimated that as many as 10,000 warriors (from both sides) died in the Battle of Nu‘uanu, making the confrontation the deadliest event ever in the Hawaiian Islands, including Pearl Harbor. The defeated chief Kalanikūpule was eventually captured, killed, and presented to Kamehameha who offered the body as a sacrifice to his war god Kūkā‘ilimoku.
The Battle of Nu‘uana was Kamehameha’s final major military conquest, giving him control of all of the Hawaiian Islands except Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, which were ceded to him in 1810.
Shipwreck on Barbers Point
On October 31, 1796, the snow Arthur, a British brig from Bengal under the command of Captain Henry Barber, left Honolulu Harbor and was headed for Kaua‘i for a load of yams before traveling on to China. About two hours after leaving Honolulu Harbor, the Arthur hit a coral shoal near the point known as Kalaeloa (“The long point”), and breaking waves drove the ship over the reef and toward shore. Six of ship’s 22 crew members died as they struggled to launch small boats. The rest of the crew, including Barber, were able to reach shore near the point on the southwest tip of O‘ahu.
The wreck of the Arthurwas later salvaged by John Young (‘Olohana), an adviser to King Kamehameha, who mounted ten cannons from the ship in front of his house. Kalaeloa Point was later renamed Barbers Point.[ii]
Volcanoes Erupt
In 1800-1801, Hualālai Volcano erupted above Ka‘ūpūlehu at an elevation of about 5,750 feet and sent lava flows to the ocean. Historic eruptions of Hualālai include three eruptions between 800 and 1100, an eruption around 1300. Both Mauna Kea and Hualālai Volcanoes are considered dormant but not extinct.
The towering Mauna Kea Volcano rises up more than six miles from the ocean bottom, and 13,796 feet above sea level. Measured from base to summit, Mauna Kea is more than 1,000 feet taller than Mount Everest, which is the tallest mountain on Earth measured from sea level. Mauna Kea’s last eruption occurred about 4,500 years ago.
Carpenter Survives Shipwreck
In April of 1822, the brig Hermes, a whaling ship on the way to Japan, ran aground in the leeward Hawaiian Islands on what is now called Pearl and Hermes Reef. Carpenter James Robinson built a schooner from the wreckage and then sailed back to the main Hawaiian Islands. Robinson later remained in the Islands and became a prominent pioneer shipbuilder.
Royal Shipwreck in Hanalei Bay
On April 5, 1824, King Kamehameha II’s royal ship, the Ha‘aheo o Hawai‘i (Prince of Hawai‘i) became shipwrecked at the mouth of the Wai‘oli River in Hanalei Bay. Built in 1816 in Salem, Massachusetts, the vessel was the first ocean-going yacht in the United States built solely for pleasure rather than commerce or war.[iii] Thousands of visitors came to see it being built in the Salem harbor. The vessel cost about $50,000 to build and another $50,000 to furnish, measuring 100 feet along its deck and 83 feet long at its waterline. The ship had five staterooms, a large forecastle, and mahogany paneling inlaid with fine woods.
In November of 1820, King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho) purchased Cleopatra’s Barge for the promise of an amount of sandalwood totaling 8,000 piculs (sandalwood was selling for $10 per picul). The king renamed the ship Ha‘aheo o Hawai‘i (Pride of Hawai‘i) and used it as a royal pleasure craft, ship-of-state, merchant vessel, and for interisland travels.
In 1824, King Kamehameha II was away on a journey to England with Queen Kamāmalu, when a royal crew sailed the Ha‘aheo o Hawai‘i to Hanalei, Kaua‘i where it wrecked on the reef. A few days later a salvage attempt was made by Hawaiians using rope tied to the base of the main mast,[iv] but the mast broke and the salvage efforts came to an end.
In 1995, marine archaeologists rediscovered the ship beneath the sand at the mouth of the Wai‘oli Stream. Recovered artifacts included poi pounders, a calabash gourd, a quartered whale’s tooth, gold-laced beads, an ivory ring, and many items that may have been part of King Kamehameha II’s wardrobe. American-made artifacts included a leather holster, a block and tackle (with rope), and musket balls.[v] Chinese artifacts recovered from the shipwreck included ceramics and tableware. During the last days of the 1996 recovery work, large sections of the ship’s hull were discovered.
The Saga of the Kamehameha and the Becket
On December 2, 1829, the ships Kamehameha and Becket left the Hawaiian Islands in search of sandalwood in the South Pacific (New Hebrides). The ships were outfitted by Boki (Kamā‘ule‘ule), who was Governor of O‘ahu under King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho).
The Kamehameha and Becket became separated somewhere near the Fiji group. Then the Kamehameha perished in a fire apparently started by someone who was smoking and accidentally ignited gunpowder in the hold. The crew of 250 died, along with Boki. The crew of the Becket, decimated by disease and other mishaps, finally returned to Honolulu on August 3, 1830 with just 20 survivors.
Tsunami Strikes Hilo
On November 7, 1837, a earthquake in Chile generated a tsunami that made its way toward the Hawaiian Islands. In Kahului, Maui the beach mysteriously began to drain away, and people rushed out to pick up stranded fish. Minutes later a tsunami arrived.
People, livestock, canoes, and the village’s 26 grass houses were all swept inland and deposited in a small lake. In Hilo, 100 houses were destroyed. In all, at least 15 people in the Hawaiian Islands were killed.
The Sinking of the Paalua
The Paalua was built by Frenchman John Bernard, who grew coffee in Hanalei, Kaua‘i with British subject Godfrey Rhodes after they obtained a 50-year Government lease of 150 acres of land near the Hanalei River in 1842. In 1845, Bernard was returning from Honolulu on the schooner, Paalua when the ship sank off of Hanalei Bay in a heavy squall just a few hundred yards from shore. Bernard and several others died. Several Hawaiians on the boat were able to swim to shore.
Hurricane Hits Maui
In 1850, an unnamed storm, likely a hurricane, hit Lahaina, Maui. The hurricane destroyed an estimated 100 homes including the king’s palace, and killed at least five people aboard the ship Sophia.
Mauna Loa Eruptions
In 1852, a Mauna Loa lava flow came within seven miles of Hilo. In 1868, a lava flow from Mauna Loa Volcano entered the Pacific Ocean to the west of South Point in Kā‘ū. The volcanic activity also formed the 240-foot high littoral cone known as Pu‘uhou (“New hill”[vi]). In 1877 lava from Mauna Loa’s summit crater flowed through the Kona district and into the sea near Ka‘awaloa.
Mauna Loa Volcano is the most massive mountain on Earth, rising 13,677 feet above sea level, and descending another 18,000 feet below the sea. Mauna Loa’s total size is about 10,000 cubic miles, making it more than 100 times as large as Washington’s Mount Rainier.
In the last 1,100 years, Mauna Loa’s eruptions have poured lava over some 1,000 square miles, which is about half of the volcano’s total land area. Mauna Loa has erupted 37 times since 1832, and 14 times in the last 100 years. Moku‘āweoweo, the summit caldera of Mauna Loa, is about three miles long, 1½ miles wide, and 600 feet deep, having filled in somewhat from its depth of more than 985 feet in 1794.
The Wreck of the Steamship West Point
In 1856, the steamship West Point was carrying a cargo of oranges when it wrecked on the rocks in a squall while leaving port at Kōloa, Kaua‘i. This was the first wreck of a steamship in the Hawaiian Islands.
Local Earthquake Causes Landslide and Tsunami
On April 2, 1868, an earthquake estimated to have a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale struck the south end of Hawai‘i Island. The quake caused a giant mudslide that killed hundreds of people and buried a small village, destroying nearly every European-style home in the Ka‘ū district.
The 1868 earthquake also generated what is known as a localized tsunami. Water reportedly surged ashore high enough to cover the tops of coconut trees, at least 60 feet high at some spots along the Ka‘ū coast. The ancient village of ‘Āpua in Puna on Hawai‘i Island was swept away. The localized tsunami killed 48 people.
The Shipwreck of the U.S.S. Saginaw (1870)
On October 30, 1870, the U.S.S. Saginaw ran aground in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands on the eastern reef of Kure Atoll, about 1,000 miles northwest of Kaua‘i. Waves smashed the ship in two, and the crew of 93 crawled over the fallen main mast to Kure’s lagoon where they survived by drinking rainwater and eating seals and birds.
The crew eventually decked-over the Saginaw’s 22-foot gig (a captain’s boat), and then fitted and provisioned the small vessel, and five of the crew members sailed for help on November 18, 1870. Storm-tossed and weather-beaten, the crew lost their oars and their provisions were ruined by ocean water. The captain of the tiny craft caught dysentery.
The small vessel foundered off of Hanalei Bay 31 days later with the exhausted crew, and was rolled over by the rough ocean swell. Two of the crew members were swept away by waves and drowned. The captain, drenched in his heavy clothing, held onto the hull for a short time, but soon lost hold and also perished.
By sunrise the tiny craft had drifted down the coast to Kalihiwai where coxswain William Halford made it to shore, also pulling to shore the other survivor, who then died on the beach. King Kalākaua was soon informed of the situation, and promptly dispatched the vessel Kīlauea to Kure. On January 3, 1871, the stranded crew of the U.S.S. Saginaw was rescued.
In August of 2003, marine archaeologists diving in a reef channel at Kure discovered the wreck of the 155-foot Saginaw. The divers identified the vessel after finding a series of metal artifacts including large iron anchors and heavily encrusted cannons.
Hurricane Hits Islands
On August 9, 1871, an unnamed hurricane hit the islands of Hawai‘i, Maui, and Moloka‘i. The hurricane caused an estimated $10,000 in damage and destroyed about 150 houses.
Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island
On May 9, 1877, a large earthquake occurred near Peru, generating a tsunami that arrived in Hilo before dawn. The tsunami destroyed 37 houses and killed five people. Many more were injured.
Eruption Threatens Hilo, Princess Responds
In 1880, a lava flow from Mauna Loa Volcano took 280 days to reach the edge of Hilo, causing great concern. King Kamehameha’s granddaughter, Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani, traveled to the area and offered chants and gifts. This is said to have supplicated the wrath of the volcano goddess Pele, and the lava flows stopped just on the edge of town.
Fire Engulfs Chinatown
In 1886, a three-day fire engulfed eight blocks of Honolulu’s Chinatown district and burned the homes of 7,000 Chinese and 350 Hawaiians, causing about $1.5 million in damage.
Balloon Flight is First Air Fatality in the Hawaiian Islands
On November 2, 1889, Joseph Van Tassel completed the first successful manned hot-air balloon flight in the Hawaiian Islands. Taking off from O‘ahu’s Kapi‘olani Park, Van Tassel ascended to an altitude of one mile and then parachuted back to Earth. Less than three weeks later, on November 18, Van Tassel attempted the same thing from Punchbowl, but drowned when winds blew him off course and he landed in Ke‘ehi Lagoon. This was the first air fatality in the Hawaiian Islands.
Second Fire Devastates Chinatown
On January 20, 1900, a fire was intentionally set in the Chinatown area of Honolulu, at the corner of Nu‘uanu and Beretania, to rid the area of disease-infected tenement homes harboring the bubonic plague. The fire accidentally got out of control and burned more than 38 acres, displacing more than 4,000 residents. The fire burned for at least 17 days.
First Airplane Crash in the Hawaiian Islands
On June 10, 1911, the first airplane crash in the Hawaiian Islands occurred when Clarence Walker hit a hala tree in Hilo. The pilot survived.[vii]
Submarine Sinks in Pearl Harbor
On March 25, 1915, the Navy submarine F-4 sank in Honolulu Harbor, killing the 21-man crew. The submarine was one of four based in the Hawaiian Islands.
Seven Ships Set Afire in Honolulu Harbor
On February 4, 1916 in Honolulu Harbor, the crews of seven interned steamships, including the German cruiser Geier, set their vessels on fire to prevent them from being used by the United States military. Officially the United States was still neutral in the war, which began in Europe in 1914. On April 6, 1917 the United States declared war on Germany.
First Aviation Fatality in the Hawaiian Islands
On November 19, 1918, a Corporal in the Fort Kamehameha Aero Squadron was flying a plane when he suddenly went into a tailspin that caused the plane to crash.[viii]
Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island and Maui
On February 23, 1923 an earthquake in the Aleutians generated a tsunami that sent waves to more than 20 feet above normal in the Waiākea area of Hilo. The tsunami also caused serious damage in Kahului, Maui.
Crater Erupts
A violent eruption of Halema‘uma‘u Crater took place in 1924. Halema‘uma‘u—about 3,000 feet across and more than 280 feet deep—is located within Hawai‘i Island’s Kīlauea Caldera, and was a lava lake during a century of continuous volcanic activity until 1924 when a violent steam eruption drained the lava from the lake.
Since 1924, approximately 40 more eruptions have occurred in the area of the summit and rift zones that run down the volcano’s flanks. Halema‘uma‘u Crater was about 1,200 feet deep in 1924, but eruptions as recently as 1974 and 1982 poured lava onto the crater floor and filled it to its present depth, about 280 feet. Today pungent sulfur fumes continue to steam up from mineral-encrusted cracks on Halema‘uma‘u’s black-rock floor.
First Civilian Trans-Pacific Flight Crashes
On July 14, 1927, the plane of navigator Emily Bronte and pilot Ernest Smith crash landed on Moloka‘i, completing the first civilian flight from the United States Mainland (Oakland, California) to the Hawaiian Islands.
Bronte and Smith’s July 14, 1927 journey covered about 2,200 miles (3,541 km) and took 26 hours and 36 minutes. They originally intended to fly to Honolulu, but a fuel shortage led to the crash landing on Moloka‘i in their 27-foot (8.2-m) monoplane named The City of Oakland.
Disaster at Dole Air Derby
On August 16, 1927, eight planes left Oakland, California for the Hawaiian Islands in the first trans-oceanic flight race, the Dole Air Derby. Entrants competed for the prizes of $25,000 and $10,000 being offered by James Drummond Dole, president of Hawaiian Pineapple Company. This was the first race from the United States Mainland to the Hawaiian Islands.
A total of ten lives were lost when two planes crashed on take-off; two planes encountered difficulties and had to turn back; and two planes disappeared over the Pacific Ocean.
The winner of the trans-oceanic race was Art Goebel (with navigator William Davis) in the monoplane Woolaroc, with just 4 gallons (15 liters) of fuel to spare. Taking second place was Martin Jensen (with navigator Paul Schluter) in the Aloha. (See Aviation, Chapter 12.)
Torrential Rains Break Dam
In the first decade of the 1900s, Kaua‘i’s McBryde Sugar Plantation built dozens of reservoirs, including the Alexander Dam, one of the world’s tallest hydraulic fill earthen dams, with a capacity of more than 800 million gallons. Measuring 640 feet thick at the base, 120 feet (37 m) high, and 620 feet (189 m) long at its crest, Alexander Dam cost $2.2 million to build and became the second highest earthen dam in the Hawaiian Islands.
As the dam neared completion on March 26, 1930, torrential rains broke the structure and caused a mudslide that killed six people. The dam was eventually rebuilt, finally opening in December of 1932.
Army Bombs Lava Flow
Lava flows threatened Hilo (including defense facilities) in 1930 and 1942, and the Army Air Corps attempted unsuccessfully to divert or disperse the flows by dropping bombs on the advancing lava.
Lava flows from a Mauna Loa eruption reached the South Kona area in 1950 when it only took about three hours for the flowing lava to reach the ocean. The 1950 event lasted for 23 days, destroying many homes and ranches. A 1975 Mauna Loa summit eruption lasted for several days and blocked a road near the summit.
Elephant Attacks Trainer
On March 3, 1933 an elephant named Daisy, who was born in captivity and was the star attraction at Kapi‘olani Zoo, threw her trainer to the ground, punctured his chest with a tusk, and crushed him. The nearly five-ton African elephant was circled by Honolulu police officers and shot less than ½-hour after the attack. The elephant’s body was dumped about four miles out to sea.[ix]
Japanese Planes Attack Pearl Harbor
At 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941, more than 350 Japanese bomber planes attacked Pearl Harbor. Deaths of United States military personnel totaled 2,323 people. Sixty civilians were also killed in the attack, and another 1,178 people were wounded.
Eight huge battleships were sunk or damaged, along with three light cruisers, three destroyers, and four smaller ships. In all, 21 United States ships were damaged and 347 planes were destroyed.
1,177 men perished in the fiery sinking of the U.S.S. Arizona, which was at its moorings on Battleship Row and sunk in just nine minutes after being hit by a bomb. Nine hundred crew members of the Arizona remain entombed in the sunken vessel. United States anti-aircraft guns responded to the warplanes 15 minutes after the start of the bombing, and 29 Japanese planes were destroyed.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was considered an act of war, and brought the United States into World War II.
After the United States dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Nagasaki on August 9, the imminent defeat of Japan led to a celebration of “V-J Day” (Victory in Japan Day) on August 15, 1945. On September 2, 1945, the forces of Japan officially surrendered on the deck of the U.S.S. Missouri battleship (now berthed at Pearl Harbor’s Battleship Row).
Japanese Submarine Attacks Army Ship
On January 28, 1942 in Hawaiian waters, a Japanese submarine torpedoed an Army transport ship, the Royal T. Frank, killing 21 people.
The Battle of Midway Atoll
On June 4, 1942, Japan’s naval fleet attempted to secure Midway Atoll, which is located about 1,309 miles northwest of Honolulu. American fighter pilots and dive-bombers sank four aircraft carriers of the Japanese fleet along with three destroyers and two cruisers. The U.S. forces also lost an aircraft carrier, the Yorktown, as well as one destroyer.
On June 5, 1942, U.S. Admiral Nimitz (1885-1966), the commander of the Pacific Fleet, announced the United States victory over the Japanese Fleet at Midway. The Battle of Midway became a turning point of World War II, securing Midway as a strategic Navy base location for the duration of the war and providing a strategic port location for submarines and ships.
Shipwreck at Midway
On February 13, 1944, the United States Navy submarine rescue vehicle U.S.S. Macaw ran aground at Midway Atoll. It had been on a mission to retrieve the submarine U.S.S. Flier when bad weather caused the grounding of the ship. A crew manned the ship’s pumps until a March storm finished off the vessel.
Ammunition Explosions Take Lives
On May 21, 1944, an explosion of mortar ammunition at Pearl Harbor triggered a fire and a series of other explosions involving nine ships in all. The accident killed 163 people and injured another 396.
Bomber Planes Collide
On June 8, 1944, two army bomber planes collided into each other above Kalihi and crashed into the ground, killing the four crew members. About a dozen homes were ignited by the crash, killing ten women and children.[x]
Plane Crashes into Ocean
On November 14, 1944, a C-54 airplane en route to the United States Mainland with 17 people on board, plunged into the ocean about 50 miles from O‘ahu.[xi]
Disappearance at Sea
In 1945, Robert S. Thurston, Jr. disappeared on a military mission over the Pacific Ocean. As a memorial to their son, a 1941 graduate of Punahou School in Honolulu, Robert’s parents built Thurston Memorial Chapel on the Punahou campus in 1966.
April Fools Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island
On April 1, 1946, an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands, 2,400 miles north of the Hawaiian Islands, generated a tsunami that hit the Hawaiian Islands about four hours later, around 6:30 a.m. The first waves were said to resemble an extra high tide surrounding homes and buildings. The third and fourth waves were the biggest of some 15 tsunami waves, each arriving about 15 minutes after the previous wave.
The natural shape of Hilo Bay amplified the waves, causing them to surge onto the land, with some of the waves reaching heights up to 56 feet above sea level, killing people and destroying property. The tsunami included 15 waves in all, rising up to 56 feet above sea level in some places, and 33 feet in Hilo where close to 500 homes and businesses were destroyed and at least 1,000 more damaged. The cost of the destruction totaled about $26 million, including railroads, bridges, piers and ships.
The tsunami killed an estimated 159 people in the Hawaiian Islands, including 96 in Hilo and 24 in Laupāhoehoe on Hawai‘i Island. Some people drowned because they were curious at the sight of an empty bay and went out to look around, only to have the tsunami waves arrive a few minutes later to sweep them away.
As each wave receded it revealed the floor of Hilo Bay. Then the tremendous surge of water would arrive again, sweeping inland and destroying everything in its path. The 1946 tsunami also hit other Hawaiian Islands, killing 17 people on Kaua‘i, 13 on Maui, and six on O‘ahu (one at Makapu‘u, two at Kahuku, and three at Kahana).
Mauna Loa Eruption Destroys Homes
In 1950, an eruption of Mauna Loa Volcano on Hawai‘i Island lasted for 23 days, taking only about three hours to reach the ocean in the South Kona area. Many homes and ranches were destroyed.
Military Air Transport Crashes
In 1955, the worst air disaster in the history of the Hawaiian Islands occurred when a military transport plane crashed in the Wai‘anae Mountains, killing all 66 passengers.
Tsunami Strikes Kaua‘i
On March 9, 1957, an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands generated a tsunami that destroyed 75 homes on Kaua‘i’s north shore, including 25 of the 29 homes in the area called Hā‘ena. At O‘ahu’s Pōka‘ī Bay, more than 50 boats and six yachts were smashed against the breakwater.
[Photograph: 1957 tsunami]
Air Force Bomber Hits Mountain
In 1957, four Air Force members were killed when their six-jet B-47 bomber crashed into a Wai‘anae Range mountainside at 400 miles per hour.
Hurricane Nina Strikes
On November 30, 1957, Hurricane Nina caused $100,000 damage.
Hurricane Dot Hits Kaua‘i
In 1959, Hurricane Dot passed over Kaua‘i, bringing winds well over 100 mi/hr and causing $6 million in damage.
Kīlauea Volcano Erupts at Summit
Kīlauea Iki (“Little Kīlauea”), a crater in the summit area of Kīlauea Volcano on Hawai‘i Island, last displayed a stunning fire show in 1959 when fountains of lava erupted to heights of 1,900 feet, the highest ever recorded in the Islands.
Activity in the summit area also occurred in 1977. Since 1987 the summit area has seen only two eruption events, each lasting less than one day.
Tsunami Strikes Hawai‘i Island
On May 22, 1960, 61 people in Hilo were killed when an earthquake in Chile generated a tsunami that hit the Hawaiian Islands. The Chilean earthquake occurred 6,600 miles away from the Hawaiian Islands, moving a piece of land the size of California about 30 feet in just minutes. The tsunami waves generated by the earthquake took more than 15 hours to reach Hawai‘i’s shores.
Hilo took the brunt of the damage as it was hit by at least seven significant tsunami waves over a two-hour period. The third wave was the most destructive. In Hilo Bay, the tsunami created a bore that rushed ashore at a speed reported to be more than 37 miles per hour, surging water as high as 36 feet above sea level.
In addition to the 61 people killed in Hilo, 43 more required medical care for their injuries. At least 229 homes were destroyed, as well as 308 public structures and businesses. The destruction was most severe near Hilo’s Kamehameha Ave., where entire city blocks were washed away. Damage was estimated up to $50 million.
Many people died because they went to the shoreline to investigate what was happening as the water drained out from the bay and river. In all, the Chilean earthquake and the resulting Pacific-wide tsunami caused the death of an estimated 2,000 people, mostly in Chile, but also 122 in Japan.
Sigma 7 Spacecraft Plunges into Pacific
On October 6, 1962, the Sigma 7 spacecraft, with Astronaut Walter M. Schirra on board, circled Earth six times before splashing down on the Pacific Ocean about 1,300 miles (2,100 km) north of Honolulu. The aircraft carrier Kearsarge picked up Schirra, who was then flown to O‘ahu’s Hickam Air Force Base.
Tsunami Strikes Islands of Hawai‘i and Maui
In 1964, one of North America’s largest earthquakes ever recorded, at magnitude 8.4 on the Richter scale, occurred in Alaska, sending tsunami waves toward the Hawaiian Islands. The tsunamis caused flooding in Kahului, Maui, where the waves rose to more than 11 feet and in Hilo where the waves rose to more than 12.5 feet. No deaths occurred in the Hawaiian Islands, but waves also struck in Alaska and California. In all, 122 were killed; nine from the earthquake, and the rest from tsunamis.
Frank Sinatra Rescued on Kaua‘i
Frank Sinatra first came to Kaua‘i in the early 1950s when he performed at the Kaua‘i County Fair. In April of 1964, Sinatra returned to Kaua‘i, directing and starring in None But the Brave, the story of a group of United States Marines who crash land on a Pacific island controlled by the Japanese during World War II.
Sinatra stayed at the Coco Palms Hotel in Wailua, and one Sunday afternoon while Sinatra was swimming at Wailua Beach he saw Ruth Koch, wife of movie producer Howard Koch, in trouble in the water. Sinatra swam out to help her but instead found himself quickly pulled out to sea while Koch made it safely to shore.
Sinatra was rescued after about 20 minutes in the water, apparently just in the nick of time as he was on the verge of drowning, and apparently starting to turn blue. Though an ambulance was called, Sinatra was okay and was able to recuperate at home, missing just one day of work before returning to the set. The main set of None But the Brave was located at Pila‘a Beach on Kaua‘i’s northeastern shore.
Moon Walkers Arrive in Pearl Harbor
On July 26, 1969, the Apollo 11 Columbia 3, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after returning from the first human visit to the moon. The astronauts were picked up by the carrier Hornet and brought to Pearl Harbor.
Kīlauea Eruption Pours into Sea
In 1971, an eruption from Kīlauea Volcano’s Mauna Ulu (“Growing Mountain”[xii]) vent poured into the sea near Kealakomo (“The entrance path”[xiii]). The eruption added 97 acres (39 ha) of new land to Hawai‘i Island.
Earthquake Shakes Hilo
On April 26, 1973, an earthquake in Hilo caused an estimated $1 million damage.
Tsunami Strikes Halapē on Hawai‘i Island
On the morning of November 29, 1975, two strong earthquakes shook the southeastern coastal of Hawai‘i Island. One of these was earthquakes was at least a 7.2 magnitude on the Richter scale, with an epicenter near an old Hawaiian village site called Halapē. The ground in the area sunk some 12 feet (3.7 m) and rocks fell from the cliffs above.
The earthquakes caused a small eruption of Kīlauea Volcano and generated a localized tsunami. When the tsunami came ashore at Halapē, it swept some Boy Scouts and their leaders who were camping there up onto a rugged lava field, and many were washed into a huge crack in the lava.
Nineteen people were injured, many severely, and two were killed, including a scout leader and a local fisherman. A huge piece of land actually slid into the ocean and the tops of the palm trees were sticking up from the water. One of the tsunami waves traveled more than 300 feet inland.
Hurricane ‘Iwa Brings 100 m.p.h. Winds
On November 3, 1982, Hurricane ‘Iwa passed between Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, bringing gusts of wind with speeds of more than 100 miles per hour and causing damages totaling $239 million.
Kīlauea Volcano Begins Current Eruption
In 1983, a flank eruption began on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano, and it has continued almost uninterrupted to the present day, releasing more than 67 billion cubic feet of lava and covering at least 40.7 square miles, increasing the island’s size by more than 535 acres.
The eruptive activity began on January 3, 1983 at Nāpau Crater with 250-foot fountains of lava. In June, 1983, the activity moved to Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Vent with lava shooting up to 1,400 feet high and eventually reaching the Royal Gardens subdivision about four miles from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. In 1983 and 1984, 16 homes were buried and/or burned. In 1984 at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, explosions of fountaining lava reached heights of more than 1,500 feet.
Eruptive activity moved to Kupaianaha Vent in July, 1986, and soon the lava was flowing through the community of Kapa‘ahu and across the coastal highway. Later in 1986, 14 houses in the community of Kalapana were destroyed.
In the spring and summer of 1990, numerous homes in and around Kalapana Gardens were destroyed along with the county store and the Mauna Kea Congregational Church. The destruction totaled 181 homes by the end of 1990. Gone was the black sand beach on crescent-shaped Kaimū Bay, which was filled with lava. In 1992 the eruptions moved from Kupaianaha Vent back to Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.
In 1997, amidst a swarm of earthquakes, Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater erupted and collapsed, sending abrasive red cinder dust (fine-grained lithic tephra) over dozens of square miles of Kīlauea’s eastern flank. The iron in the volcanic rock oxidized as it was ejected, creating red dust-sized particles that were a kind of volcanic rust, and the floor of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater fell nearly 500 feet. About three miles up the East Rift Zone from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater, and 9 miles east of Kīlauea’s summit, curtains of fiery lava up to 100 feet tall shot from fissures in the Earth. Two miles west, at Nāpau Crater, a 24-hour eruption occurred.
In May, 2001, the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Vent flow covered almost a mile of an unpaved access road, blocking nearly 1,500 people from the lots they owned. A significant increase in lava flows from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō began on May 12, 2002, the same date that Mauna Loa showed volcanic activity. Kīlauea’s May 12, 2002 outbreak of lava first reached the ocean along the Puna coast on July 19, 2002. As many as 4,000 visitors per day flocked to the area to see the increased activity, including streams of lava cascading up to 45 feet off the seacliffs into the ocean.
Since May, 2002, the lava flows of Kīlauea Volcano have added more than ten acres of land to Hawai‘i Island, and created new black sand beaches along the island’s southeast shore. The eruptions also sparked a fire that burned 3,600 acres. In 2004, spectacular lava flows into the ocean drew record numbers of visitors.[xiv]
Mauna Loa Eruption Threatens Hilo
A 22-day eruption of Mauna Loa in 1984 sent lava flowing for 16 miles down to the 3,200-foot level of the mountain, and covered more than 18 square miles. The flow came close enough to Hilo to make many people very nervous.
Man Killed at Hālona Blowhole
On April 13, 1986 an 18-year-old man looking down into O‘ahu’s Hālona Blowhole was killed as a powerful geyser of water shot upward. The geyser is created by waves hitting the rocks and funneling water into the blowhole.[xv]
Hurricane Estelle Strikes Islands
On July 23, 1986, Hurricane Estelle caused $2 million damage on Hawai‘i Island, Maui, and O‘ahu.
Woman Sucked Out of Plane
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243 was flying from Hilo to Honolulu at an elevation of about 24,000 feet (7,315 m), 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Maui, with 89 passengers on board, when a large chunk of the jet’s roof and walls, from the cockpit to the back of the cabin, were suddenly torn from the plane’s cabin, causing an “explosive decompression of the cabin.” A flight attendant standing at seat row 5 disappeared through the hole in the left side of the fuselage.
Another flight attendant, who had been standing at row 2, was hit in the head by debris and suffered head lacerations and a concussion. The flight diverted its route, and was able to land safely in Maui. A total of seven passengers sustained serious injuries and 57 more passengers had minor injuries.
The missing flight attendant was not found despite a sea search. The $5 million dollar Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 airplane sustained major damage, and had to be dismantled and sold for parts and scrap.[xvi]
1990s
Lava Flow Buries Kalapana Village
In 1990, a lava flow from Kīlauea Volcano buried the village of Kalapana.on Hawai‘i Island.
Shark Attacks Women
On November 26, 1991, a 41-year-old woman was swimming about 100 yards offshore at Olowalu on Maui when she was killed by a tiger shark.[xvii] The woman owned an oceanfront Olowalu home. Her death prompted the formation of a Shark Task Force as well as a state-sanctioned shark hunt.
Bodyboarder Disappears, Board Bitten
On February 19, 1992, a bodyboarder who had been in the water west of O‘ahu’s Waimea Bay at a spot known as Leftovers did not return to shore. The next morning his bodyboard was found with a large piece missing. The 16-inch crescent taken out of the bodyboard was presumably due to a shark bite.[xviii]
Helicopter Crashes on Haleakalā
On April 22, 1992, a Beech E18S helicopter crashed near Maui’s Haleakalā crater, killing all nine aboard. Investigators concluded the pilot was to blame for flying into bad weather.[xix]
Hurricane ‘Iniki Slams Kaua‘i
On September 11, 1992, the eye of Hurricane ‘Iniki passed directly over Kaua‘i. ‘Iniki began brewing far southeast of the Hawaiian Islands. The winds within the hurricane continued to grow to more than 100 miles per hour as the whole hurricane slowly moved north-northwest at about 20 miles per hour. Eventually the path of the hurricane turned due north and the hurricane made a direct hit on Kaua‘i
As Hurricane ‘Iniki proceeded over the island of Kaua‘i, a ferocious gust of wind within the hurricane was clocked at 227 miles per hour, a measurement that was taken by the Navy’s Mākaha Ridge radar station. Soon after that digital readout was sent, the wind gauging equipment was blown off the mountain!
Property damage due to Hurricane ‘Iniki totaled more than $3 billion, including damage to over 70% of Kaua‘i’s homes. In all, about 14,000 homes and apartments were damaged, including 1,421 that were completely destroyed. The community of Princeville topped the list with 279 homes destroyed.
At the time of the hurricane there were 8,200 hotel, condo, and bed and breakfast rooms on Kaua‘i, and ‘Iniki shut down 90% of them.[xx]
Helicopter Crashes on Haleakalā
On September 16, 1992, seven people on a helicopter tour died when the Aerospatiale Astar helicopter crashed on Haleakalā Crater’s southern slope. An investigation determined that pilot error caused the crash.
Shark Attacks Bodyboarder
On November 5, 1992, a bodyboarder offshore of O‘ahu’s Keeau Beach Park on the Wai‘anae coast died after being bitten on the right leg by a shark estimated to be about 11 feet long.[xxi]
Lava Shelf Collapse Claims Victim
In April of 1993, a man died on Hawai‘i Island when the ½-acre lava shelf he stood upon fell into the sea. More than a dozen others in the area at the time were injured by flying debris. The lava shelf where the man was standing was closed off to the public, but the man ignored the warnings.[xxii]
Helicopter Crashes into Ocean
On June 25, 1993, the pilot of a Hilleer 1100 helicopter lost control of his tail rotor and the craft plunged into the ocean offshore of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Four passengers were killed in the crash, but the pilot survived. The crash was blamed on loss of rotor control.
Helicopter Crash on Kaua‘i
On April 18, 1994, one person was killed and four were injured when a helicopter crashed near Kaua‘i’s Hanapēpē Valley. The crash was blamed on engine failure.
Helicopter Crashes on Kaua‘i
July 14, 1994
Three of seven people aboard were killed; crash believed due to engine failure.
[Facts to be added]
Elephant Goes on Rampage
On August 20, 1994, an African elephant named Tyke mauled her groomer and then killed her trainer before running from Blaisdell Arena into the streets and then killing another man. Honolulu police officers used high-powered rifles to shoot the elephant.[xxiii]
Plane Crashes in ‘Īao Valley
On March 25, 1995, the pilot of a twin-engine Cessna plane died when he crashed in Maui’s ‘Īao Valley.
Waterfall Jump Fatal
On June 18, 1995, a 31-year-old man jumped off Kaua‘i’s 80-foot-high Wailua Falls, resulting in a broken tailbone, severe bruising, and torn flesh. When asked why he jumped off the falls, he replied that it was for the thrill of it. Eight days later he died due to a massive strep infection.[xxiv]
Shark Attacks Surfer
In 1997, a young man lost his lower right leg to a shark at the surf spot known as Majors along the coastline of the PMRF on Kaua‘i’s west side. The man was about 150 yards (137 m) offshore.[xxv]
Man Killed in Slide Down Lava Cone
In April of 1998, a resident of Laupāhoehoe on Hawai‘i Island died when he fell into the sea after sliding down the side of a coastal lava cone.[xxvi]
Helicopter Crashes in Crater of Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale
On June 25, 1998, an Aerostar 350 BA helicopter with a pilot and five passengers aboard approached Kaua‘i’s Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale, often called the “wettest spot on Earth.” “Boy, the weather is looking bad right here,” said the pilot as he entered the volcano’s waterfall-laced, summit crater, which was dense with clouds.
Soon after entering the crater, the pilot said over his radio, “I can’t see,” and then crashed directly into the side of the mountain cliff about 200 feet below the ridge, at an elevation of about 2,400 feet, instantly killing the six people aboard. When the crash occurred, the helicopter was under power and nearly perpendicular to the cliff’s face.[xxvii]
Shark Bites Swimmer
On March 5, 1999, a woman suffered a 13-inch shark bite to her leg as she was swimming offshore at Ka‘anapali, Maui.[xxviii]
Honeymooner Attacked by Shark
On March 18, 1999, two honeymooners were enjoying their honeymoon on Maui, and went kayaking off the Lahaina coast. The man was rescued three days later on Kaho‘olawe, and stated that he and his wife were blown away from Maui, their boat capsized, and a shark killed his wife.Authorities were not able to verify or disprove the story. In June of 2001, a death certificate was issued for the woman.[xxix]
Landslide at Sacred Falls
One of the worst natural disasters in the Hawaiian Islands occurred at 2:30 p.m. on May 9, 1999 when a landslide killed eight persons and injured 50 more at O‘ahu’s Sacred Falls State Park (Kaliuwa‘a) in the Ko‘olau Mountains, about 30 miles north of Honolulu.
Boulders and dirt rained down upon a group of people swimming in the pool beneath the waterfall. The debris came from as high as 600 feet up the mountain, and the sound of the falling rocks was described as similar to the sound of a freight train. Those in the path of the landslide were buried instantly. As far as 50 feet away from the pool people were hurt, some sustaining head concussions, lost limbs, and other serious injuries. There were many “walking wounded.”
The waterfall is reached by a narrow, winding trail about three miles long. Rescue workers had to hike to the scene because the canyon was too narrow for a helicopter landing. Eventually, heat-seeking cameras and military search dogs were used to locate the buried victims, the last of whom was retrieved on May 12, three days after the landslide. Flash floods and hiking accidents have killed others in the park in the past.[xxx]
Plane Crashes on Mauna Loa
On September 25, 1999, a Piper Chieftan tour plane crashed on Hawai‘i Island’s Mauna Loa volcano, killing all ten people aboard the plane. An investigation placed the blame for the crash on the plane’s pilot, who had continued to fly the craft without instruments despite encountering cloudy conditions.
During the last thirty seconds of the flight, the plane climbed at its maximum rate of ascent, but it wasn’t enough to clear the mountain. The plane crashed at an elevation of 10,100 feet.[xxxi]
Jet Crashes on Moloka‘i
On May 10, 2000, a private jet crashed on Moloka‘i while approaching the airport. Six people died.
Helicopter Crashes at the Base of ‘Īao Valley
On June 22, 2000, an AS355 twin-engine helicopter crashed at the base of Maui’s ‘Īao Valley in the West Maui Mountains.
Helicopter Crashes in ‘Iao Valley
On July 21, 2000, seven people died in Maui’s ‘Īao Valley when a tour helicopter crashed. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error, which included flying into inclement weather.
Shark Bites Windsurfer
On August 15, 2000, a windsurfer was severely bitten in the lower left leg by a tiger shark. The attack occurred about ½-mile offshore southeast of Kū‘au after the windsurfer fell off his board and was severely bitten in the lower left leg by a tiger shark identified by teeth recovered after the incident.[xxxii]
Eight Survive, One Dies in Plane Crash
On August 25, 2000, a twin-engine Piper PA 31-350 Navajo Chieftain airplane ditched in the ocean about 200 yards offshore of Hilo. One passenger died in the crash, but seven survived along with the plane’s pilot. The crash occurred at 5:30 p.m., and helicopters and rescue boats pulled the survivors from the water before nightfall.
The cause of the crash was loss of power in the right engine and an engine fire, and it came to rest about 100-feet-deep in Hilo Bay. An S-61 Sikorsky helicopter could not lift the plane out of the water so instead pulled it to the shore. The plane broke in two as the helicopter lifted it off the beach.[xxxiii]
Shark Bites Snorkeler
On October 18, 2000, a 56-year-old female snorkeler about ½-mile offshore was bitten on the upper and lower back.
Volcanic Gasses Kill Two
On November 5, 2000, a man and a woman were found dead about 100 yards from the ocean in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park along Hawai‘i Island’s southeast coastline where they were observing the volcanic activity.
It was later determined that the two had inhaled so much acid-laden steam from the lava that their lungs became filled with fluid, preventing their hearts from pumping blood fast enough. This is known as pulmonary edema.[xxxiv]
2001
Golf Ball Injures Baseball Player
On February 2, 2001 on O‘ahu, a man hit two golf balls from behind a University of Hawai‘i dormitory toward the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. One of the golf shots sailed down into the stadium, where the state softball tournament was in progress. The golf ball hit one of the softball players directly in the mouth as she was in the dugout preparing to go to bat for ‘Iolani School.The impact knocked out one of the competitor’s teeth, loosened other teeth, and bloodied her mouth. The man was later convicted of second-degree assault.[xxxv]
Submarine Crashes into Fishing Boat
On February 9, 2001, in waters about nine miles off of Pearl Harbor, the fast-attack submarine USS Greeneville was engaged in a rapid-ascent surfacing drill. As the submarine approached the ocean’s surface it collided with a fishing boat named the Ehime Maru, which was on a fishing training expedition with southwestern Japan’s Uwajima Fisheries High School. The collision sank the trawler Ehime Maru and killed nine of its crewmembers.
The surfacing drill was done for the benefit of 16 civilians aboard the submarine as distinguished guests. Two civilians were at key controls aboard the submarine as it performed the surfacing drill known as a main ballast blow to the surface.
The initial crash of the submarine into the fishing boat ripped open the bulkheads and fuel tanks on the Ehime Maru. The fishing boat then plunged toward the bottom reaching a speed of more than 60 m.p.h. as parts of the boat were crushed by the pressure of the deep sea and the ship crashed into the seafloor. In 2002, the Navy paid $13 million to the families of the victims.[xxxvi]
Breaching Whale Lands on Tourist
On February 13, 2001, passengers aboard the boat Hokua were on a humpback whale-watching trip offshore of West Kaua‘i’s Barking Sands Beach when they saw a young humpback veer away from its mother and breach from the water. The 22-foot whale landed on the legs of a woman sitting on the stern of a 40-foot catamaran. The front of the breaching whale landed on the woman’s legs, breaking one of her knees.[xxxvii]Soldiers Die in Crash of Black Hawk Helicopters
On February 12, 2001, two UH-60 Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed near Kahuku, killing six soldiers, and injuring 11. The six soldiers who died were all on the same helicopter, which was carrying an Army Humvee in a sling hanging beneath the helicopter. The Humvee weighed 8,000 pounds, which was just 37 pounds short of the load limit for the helicopter.The two helicopters were about 150 feet up when the crash occurred, and were part of a group of twelve helicopters (three groups of four) that were participating in a nighttime military training exercise called “Lightning Thrust Warrior.”
The helicopter carrying the Humvee was at the rear of the group and fell behind. The pilot radioed the code “heavy metal” to the others, requesting that they slow down so he could get back in position. As the fourth helicopter caught up it apparently had too much speed, and the pilot then radioed a request to helicopter three to speed up, but helicopter three replied that it could not speed up and still maintain formation. The helicopters were executing two 90-degree turns so they could land with the wind behind them.
At that point helicopter four broke formation and flew to the right, past the others, causing helicopters two and three to veer left to make room. Helicopter four then banked about 35 degrees to the right and the sling of helicopter four came in contact with the rotor blades of helicopter one, the lead helicopter, severing part of the sling. This caused the fourth helicopter to nose over and crash. The helicopter whose blades had contacted the sling then began “autorotating,” and also crashed.
After the accident, a team of more than 90 soldiers completed a thorough search of the area. The incident was one the worst helicopter accidents in the history of the Hawaiian Islands.[xxxviii]
Shark Bites Bodyboarder
On March 23, 2001, a man suffered minor cuts when he was bitten by a shark while bodyboarding about 35 yards offshore at O‘ahu’s Sandy Beach.
Woman Falls into Lava Tube
In April of 2001, a Hawai‘i Island woman was reported missing. Her family members searched the area near her Pāhoa home, and rescue crews later retrieved her body from a 15-foot deep lava tube.[xxxix]
Diver Lost and Found at Sea
On the evening of April 7, 2001, an O‘ahu man took his 19-foot powerboat about ½-mile off Ka‘ena Point where he dove for tropical fish. The man became separated from his lead line and was unable to return to his boat due to the current, which began to carry him around the point. When he failed to return home in the evening his wife alerted authorities. A helicopter search was launched at about 3 a.m.
Fortunately the man was able to remain afloat due to a buoyancy compensator device, which is an adjustable flotation device used by divers. After 18 hours in the water he made it to shore at Mokulē‘ia Beach, about 15 miles (24 km) from where he was originally diving.[xl]
Shark Bites Surfer’s Hand
On April 11, 2001, a man surfing off ‘Ewa Beach on O‘ahu was bitten on his left hand by a shark estimated to be about 3 feet (.9 m) long. The injuries included cuts and puncture wound.
Pit Bulls Attack Horse
On May 18, 2001 at about 7 p.m., three pit bulls attacked a seven-year-old mare named Lilo, which was being ridden by a woman on a trail along the rim of Kaua‘i’s Hanalei Valley.
The pit bulls came toward the horse and rider at a dead run and bit into the horse’s legs. The woman was bucked off the frightened horse, which went over the edge of the hillside with the dogs still attacking. The muscular dogs weighed between 50 and 100 pounds. The horse was valued at $10,000.
It was later determined that the horse died from both the attack and the long fall. The dogs disappeared from the scene. Despite the offer of a financial reward, authorities investigating the incident did not find the owner of the dogs.
Five Survive Plane Crash in Ocean off Hāmākua Coast
On May 18, 2001, four passengers and a pilot were flying aboard a Cessna 337 Skymaster tour plane over the ocean on Hawai‘i Island’s Hāmākua Coast when suddenly the plane’s engine sputtered and died.
The four passengers and the pilot were plucked from the sea by the a Waiākea Fire/Rescue Station helicopter, and suffered only cuts and bruises. The plane sank about 100 yards offshore in about 100 feet of water.[xli]
Plane Crashes on Lāna‘i
On June 14, 2001, a flight instructor and his student were on an interisland instructional flight on a Piper Comanche airplane over Lāna‘i. The flight ended near the Kānepu‘u ridge where the aircraft slid along the ground for about 50 feet, slammed into a four-foot embankment and then continued on for about another 200 feet before coming to a stop. Both wings were ripped off the plane.
The crash took the life of the 23-year-old student pilot from Kāne‘ohe, who was a also a member of the U.S. Navy. Federal investigators concluded that the student pilot may not have properly followed the commands of his 22-year-old instructor. The student pilot mistakenly made a left descending turn instead of a right descending turn, sending the plane down into some clouds. The instructor took over the controls but it was too late, and he was not able to gain elevation in time to avoid crashing.
Despite severe head and leg injuries, the flight instructor crawled from the scene and managed to leave his flashlight pointed at the fuselage before passing out. The crash occurred at 8:44 p.m. and the rescuers found the site about five hours later. The light was credited with helping rescuers find the crash site.[xlii]
Man Attempts Swim to Ni‘ihau
On June 9, 2001, a 27-year-old man left Hanapēpē Bay on Kaua‘i early in the morning in a quest to swim from Kaua‘i across the Kaulakahi Channel to Ni‘ihau. He had told his parents on the phone the night before that he had “a vision,” and was going to “swim and be with the Hawaiians.” He apparently had spoken with another man who had swam the channel the year before.Shortly after 6 p.m. a Coast Guard helicopter 11 miles east of Ni‘ihau spotted the lone swimmer, who was picked up in a rescue basket. The man had been swimming for about 11 hours and had a small water bottle tied to his body, but he had no clothes on.[xliii]
Three Survive 80-Foot Descent at Waterfall
On June 26, 2001, two 22-year old male visitors from California jumped from the top of Kaua‘i’s 80-foot Wailua Falls, a popular visitor attraction well known for being featured in the opening scene of the television series, “Fantasy Island.”
The two men were walking above the falls when one of them stopped, removed his backpack and shirt, and then took a running leap over the edge. He landed feet first, plunging beneath the water for more than 20 seconds before rising to the surface. The second man then jumped, but hit the water awkwardly. When he surfaced he had trouble swimming, and he was moaning in pain.
From the guardrail above the falls, the friends and family members of the two men who jumped off the falls were crying and screaming, distraught at what they were watching. Both jumpers had multiple injuries and were airlifted by helicopter to a waiting ambulance, and then taken to the emergency room at Wilcox Hospital. By the next morning both were listed in stable condition.
Less than 24 hours later, another 22-year-old male fell from the top of the waterfall by accident as he tried to jump over a channel in the river above the falls and lost his footing. When he surfaced from the pool below the falls, his shirt had been ripped off and he was holding his right shoulder and wiping blood from near his eye. Like the victims the day before, he was airlifted from the scene.[xliv]
Man Chasing Hat Falls Into Volcano
On August 5, 2001, a Navy Lieutenant who was stationed aboard the guided missile frigate USS Crommelin outside of Pearl Harbor decided to visit Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. He was standing on the rim of Kīlauea caldera and enjoying the spectacular view into the crater when suddenly a gust of wind blew his hat off his head.The man tried to retrieve it by climbing through the safety railings and reaching over the edge of the crater rim. Suddenly he slipped and fell, descending about 85 feet before having his fall broken by a Myrica faya tree, which miraculously stopped him from falling another 100 feet.
Rescuers were called, and had to be lowered by ropes to pull the man out in a harness. A CAT scan and a series of tests revealed that the man had no serious injuries. After 12 stitches and some bandages, he was released from the hospital. The “Abercrombie & Fitch” hat was never recovered.[xlv]
Five Survive Fiery Helicopter Crash
On September 28, 2001, four passengers and a pilot were in a helicopter heading for a tour of the active lava flows of Kalapana on Hawai‘i Island. Suddenly they heard strange noises, including a loud bang that came from the helicopter’s engine, which then caught on fire and lost power. The Bell 206 helicopter started going down, and the pilot steered the powerless craft to an “auto rotation” crash landing in a Kea‘au field.
The passengers and the pilot were able to safely get out of the helicopter, which then burned. One male passenger suffered minor injuries and the $250,000 helicopter was destroyed.
It was later determined that a turbine wheel had flown out of the helicopter, and the copter suffered “catastrophic engine failure.” The pilot was credited with executing the landing and helping his passengers from the burning craft.[xlvi]
Shark Bites Man’s Surfboard
On November 14, 2001, a surfer at Maui’s Kapalua Beach had his surfboard bitten into by a shark.
Fatal Fall on Maui
A Kula, Maui man died after falling more than 200 feet, while hiking a trail on the Piina‘au Stream near the Hāna Highway.[xlvii]
2002
Shark Bites Snorkeler
On January 1, 2002, a 35-year-old male snorkeler about 100 yards offshore of Olowalu on Maui was bitten on the buttock. The attack was presumed to have been inflicted by a tiger shark, as one was seen in the area before and after the attack.
Two Boys Survive Being Swept Downstream
Three boys went into O‘ahu’s Makīkī Stream to retrieve their slippers (sandals), when a sudden of rush of water appeared and swept two of the boys downstream. The third boy ran for help as his two friends floated beneath the H-1 freeway and through culverts, traveling about ½-mile distance in about 10 minutes. Near King Street and Kalākaua Avenue, the boys managed to grab onto a pipe hanging out into the water, and then they were helped onto land by some passers by.[xlviii]
Angel’s Trumpet Flower Causes Incoherent Babbling
In February of 2002 on O‘ahu, a 15-year-old boy ended up in critical condition at Castle Medical Center after eating the petals of an Angel’s Trumpet flower (Burgmansia species), a fairly common plant in the Hawaiian Islands. Though its long, bell-shaped flowers make it an attractive ornamental plant, Angel’s Trumpet is extremely toxic, and consumption of even a small amount can shut down the central nervous system.
Doctors had to tie the boy to the hospital bed, giving him sedatives and inserting a charcoal solution (in a bottle) into the boy’s intestine to absorb the plant’s toxins, which caused 18 hours of hallucinations and incoherent babbling. Later the boy reported that he had eaten “several petals” and then “several more petals” of the toxic flower.
Angel’s Trumpet contains a chemical called atropine, which is used by doctors as an antidote to persons exposed to nerve gas or pesticides. Another boy was hospitalized in June of 2001 after consuming the Angel’s Trumpet flower and losing control due to hallucinations. In 1982, a man died after consuming a homemade medical preparation that included juice from the plant. In 1996, the Angel’s Trumpet flower was banned from O‘ahu’s Schofield Barracks because some soldiers had ingested it to get high.[xlix]
Human Leg Found on Reef
On March 2, 2002, a scuba diver about 100 yards offshore of O‘ahu’s Hanauma Bay discovered a human leg lying on top of the coral reef. The leg bones were nearly complete from the toes to the hip socket, and a portion of the foot still had the flesh attached.
Lifeguards turned the limb over to police, who gave it to the Medical Examiner for analysis and comparison with data on missing persons.[l]
Truck Goes Off Waipi‘o Cliff
On March 19, 2002, one man was killed when a pickup truck ascending the hill out of Waipi‘o Valley went off the edge of the narrow road and plunged 300 feet down the steep cliff. The truck rolled over numerous times and ended up on the beach below.
Rescue workers searched for the accident victims that evening but were hampered by thick fog and darkness. After they ceased searching, the family and friends of the driver’s fiancé continued searching, and heard the vehicle’s driver yelling for help.
Using a rope tied to a truck on the road, they descended the cliff and found the man wedged against the cliff by a tree about 100 yards above the beach. He suffered only a broken leg. The passenger remained in the vehicle and did not survive the crash.[li]
Shark Attacks Bodyboarder
On March 25, 2002 a 17-year-old male bodyboarder lost his left foot and ankle to a shark about 150 feet offshore at Brennecke Beach on Kaua‘i’s south shore. The 17-year-old was pulled underwater twice, and then was finally freed from the shark’s grip after he punched it and jabbed the eye of the shark, which was thought to be a tiger shark.[lii]
Geyser Takes Life
An 18-year-old California man died after he leaned over O‘ahu’s Hālona Blowhole and was struck by the powerful geyser of water that is produced when waves striking the lava are funneled up through a hole in the rock with tremendous force. Just as the man leaned over the blowhole to look inside, the powerful spout of water blasted him up into the air. He came down head first, right into the hole. His body was found the next day in the nearby ocean.[liii]
Kayaker Adrift for Four Days is Rescued
On Friday, July 26, 2002, a man in a 17-foot-long folding, sailing kayak was about ¼th-mile offshore of Hawai‘i Island’s Kohala Coast when stormy weather capsized the vessel. When he righted the kayak, the jib sail caught the wind and quickly sent the vessel about 20 miles out to sea. The man paddled hard for more than 20 hours, but could only get within about 10 miles of shore.
On Sunday morning, after drifting helplessly for two days, he was able to use his cell phone to contact rescuers and communicate his position. Four times the rescue planes came very near, but did not see him.
By Tuesday, July 30, the drifting kayaker was about 80 miles southwest of the Hawaiian Islands. Exhausted, dehydrated, and suffering from delusions, the man was comforted only by his water-soaked Bible. He was finally spotted and rescued.[liv]
Shark Bites Boy
On August 28, 2002 in O‘ahu’s Kewalo Basin channel, a tiger shark estimated to be 11-feet long bit into the left foot of a 16-year-old boy, causing a large gash. The shark also bit the tail off the boy’s surfboard.
100-Foot Fall into Lava Tube Injures Rescue Worker
On September 11, 2002 a firefighter on Hawai‘i Island fell 100 feet into a lava tube. Though he suffered multiple injuries, the man survived.
At the time of the accident, the firefighter was searching for three missing hunters, and was making his way through thick underbrush when he stepped into a fern-covered hole. Other firefighters used ropes to bring the man up out of the lava tube, and he was then transported by helicopter to Queen’s Hospital.[lv]
Five Rescued from Lava Tube
On September 24, 2002 five people rappelled down into a 60-foot-deep lava tube on the side of Mauna Kea volcano. The hole was only about 10 feet wide at the top, growing to about 30 feet wide at the bottom.
Once they were down in the hole, however, the group realized they didn’t have the strength or equipment to climb back out. Their companion at the top of the hole called rescuers, who arrived about an hour and a half later and used ropes to rescue the stranded adventurers.[lvi]
Shark Bites Surfboard
On September 27, 2002, a man was surfing off O‘ahu’s Kāhala Beach when his surfboard was bitten by a black tip shark estimated to be 4 feet (1.2 m)long.
Shark Bites Woman’s Foot
On October 30, 2002, a 62-year-old woman was swimming about 25 yards off of Kama‘ole Beach Park 1 in Kīhei on Maui’s south shore when she suffered deep wounds to her right foot, including damage to ligaments, tendons and an artery, in what is suspected to have been a shark attack.
Shark Bites Woman’s Arm
On November 17, 2002, a 33-year-old woman visitor from San Diego, California was severely bitten by a shark about 100 yards off of Maui’s Kā‘anapali Coast. She suffered wounds to her wrist, forearm and right shoulder. She stated that the shark was gray with a white-tipped tail, and more than 6 feet long.
2003
Man Survives 200-Foot Fall Down Cliff
In January of 2003, a 58-year-old man strayed off a trail and fell 200 feet down the side of a cliff in the Wai‘anae Mountains. Though he suffered neck and back injuries, the man was able to use his cell phone to call for help. He spent the night in the mountains and was rescued the following morning.[lvii]
Student Pilot Crashes on Moloka‘i
On January 25, 2003, a 17-year-old student pilot crashed a single-engine plane into a Moloka‘i mountain. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the cause of the crash involved the pilot’s error in descending to 1,000 feet when he should have stayed above 3,500 feet.
The crash occurred during the high school senior’s his first solo interisland flight. Rescuers found the burned wreckage of the plane two days after the crash.[lviii]
Flash Flood Sweeps Away Man and Daughter
On April 10, 2003, a 39-year-old man and his eight-year-old daughter were crossing over a stream in Kipahulu about one-half mile above Hāna Highway in Haleakalā National Park on the Pīpīwai Trail, when the young girl slipped and fell. The father helped her up as they suddenly heard a loud noise—it was a 6-foot-high surge of water was roaring down the stream.
A sudden rush of debris-filled water swept them to their death over the 184-foot high Makahiku Falls. The area of the incident was extensively searched, but the bodies were not found. To date, no one has ever survived a descent from the hazardous precipice of the waterfall. The stream had caused numerous deaths in the previous several years.[lix]
About 30 minutes before the tragedy occurred, a flash flood warning had been issued by Hawaii Civil Defense, though people on the trail were likely unaware the warning had been issued.
Marlin Spears Whale Researcher
On April 15, 2003, a prominent whale researcher was filming a pod of more than 50 false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) attacking a marlin, a fast-swimming, carnivorous fish, (Hawaiian name: a‘u), about 3 miles off Maui’s western coast. Suddenly the marlin, estimated to be about 12½ feet long, turned and attacked the man, spearing him through his right shoulder, quickly extracting itself, and leaving him severely wounded and bleeding profusely. He was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center where he was treated for the extreme puncture wound.[lx]
Shark Bites Swimmer’s Leg
On May 10, 2003, on Hawai‘i Island a man was swimming near Kahalu‘u Beach when an estimated 6-foot-long, gray-colored shark bit into his left foot, ankle, and calf.
Load Line Causes Helicopter Crash
On May 22, 2003, a commercial helicopter crashed on Kaho‘olawe when a 41-foot load line attached to the helicopter struck the tail rotor. The pilot had just delivered a 3000-pound load from Maui, and took off with the line still hanging from the helicopter (not standard procedure). The line became entangled in the tail rotor, separating it from the craft and causing the crash.[lxi]
Four Rescued from Sea Cave
On May 26, 2003, two men and two women took their small inflatable boat into a sea cave along Kaua‘i’s rugged Nāpali coastline. Suddenly the adventurous boaters found themselves trapped in the cave by waves pounding against the rocks. The boat washed up onto the rocks as the waves continued to crash into the cave’s entrance.
Lifeguards soon arrived, and timed their efforts with the arriving swells as they raced into the cave and rescued one person at a time. The rescuers lost hold of the jet ski and recovered it, and one wave almost smashed them against the top of the entrance to the cave. A veteran County lifeguard called the operation “...the heaviest rescue I’ve ever been involved in.”[lxii]
Leaping Eel Bites Woman
On June 1, 2003, a visitor from Washington State was bitten on the hand by a 4½-foot peppered moray eel that leaped about 2½ feet from a saltwater pool at a hotel. The woman had seen the eel beneath the water in the pool, and had stopped to point out the eel to her niece and nephew.
After the initial bite, the woman shook her hand, hitting the eel against a handrail, but it bit another part of her hand before finally letting go. The woman’s hand required two surgeries and some damage was permanent. She filed a lawsuit against the hotel for harboring “..a dangerous animal species.”[lxiii]
Helicopter Crashes at Volcanoes National Park
On June 15, 2003, a Hughes 500 helicopter crashed on Hawai‘i Island in Volcanoes National Park. The pilot and three passengers died in the crash.
Jellyfish Invade O‘ahu Beaches
On June 23, 2003, box jellyfish stung hundreds of swimmers and beachgoers along O‘ahu’s southern shores, where an estimated 2,700 jellyfish washed up on the beaches.
Lifeguards treated at least 330 individuals for stings. Two people suffered severe allergic reactions to the stings, and had to go to a hospital for additional treatment. The following day, June 24, about 100 people were treated for stings and about 500 jellyfish washed ashore.[lxiv]
Dolphins Flee as Shark Bites Man’s Foot
On June 24, 2003 offshore of O‘ahu’s Mākua Beach a man was swimming with a pod of about 45 spinner dolphins when the dolphins suddenly and rapidly left the area. Just then the man was bitten in the foot by shark. The shark may have been preying on the dolphins, and may have mistaken the man for a dolphin.
The man estimated the shark to be about five feet wide and silver colored. Experts deduced it was a likely a great white shark. Fortunately the man’s foot was not severely damaged despite needing more than 25 stitches.
Solar Aircraft Crashes into Ocean
On June 26, 2003, an unmanned, solar electric-powered flying wing named Helios was flying at an elevation of about 3,000 feet. The length of the plane’s 247-foot wingspan suddenly began bending and flapping. Technically speaking, the $15 million plane was experiencing “undampened pitch oscillations.” The flapping tore the skin of the fragile, lightweight craft, and it plunged into the sea about 10 miles offshore.
Much of the plane’s wreckage was later recovered, but the sensitive equipment was damaged and the plane was a total loss. In 2001, Helios had soared to 96,500 feet, setting the world altitude record for non-rocket-powered fixed-wing aircraft. The plane was powered by 10 propeller-driven engines.
The crash occurred during a flight being used to test a hydrogen fuel cell that can be recharged by the solar photovoltaic panels and fuel the plane’s electric motors, allowing the Helios to fly at night. NASA later determined that the plane was not suited for turbulence due to changes in the configuration of the plane after its record breaking 2001 flight. A report concluded there should have been more analysis and risk assessment, and an “inappropriate decision” to fly the craft led to the crash.[lxv]
Helicopter Crash on Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale
On July 23, 2003 a Bell 206-B Jet Ranger helicopter crashed at about the 4,650 foot level on the northeast face of Kaua‘i’s Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale crater, then slid downward separating the cabin from the tail of the aircraft and killing all five aboard. Wreckage was strewn over several hundred yards of cliff.
A Kaua‘i Fire Department search and rescue team reached the crash site about three hours after the accident occurred. Rescuers first secured the main cabin of the craft to the steep cliff so that it would not fall further down the mountain. A rescue worker saw a foot sticking out of the wreckage, and removed debris to find a woman still alive but pinned against a rock by the helicopter. CPR was administered along with oxygen.
Swirling clouds and bad weather prevented rescuers from transporting the 33-year-old woman to a hospital, and they could only wait for a break inclement weather. The woman was able to speak with the rescuers, and her leg was splinted. Rescuers tore upholstery from the aircraft and wrapped it around the woman to keep her warm, comforting her for the next two hours before she passed away on the mountainside.[lxvi]
360 Swimmers Rescued in Roughwater Competition
On September 1, 2003, 360 swimmers involved in the 34th annual Waikīkī Roughwater Swim competition had to be rescued from the water after an unusually strong current swept them out to sea. The competitors were swimming a 2.384 mile course beginning at Waikīkī’s San Souci Beach, and more than a third of the competition’s 947 entrants were rescued.
Two hundred swimmers were rescued by city lifeguards, 93 were rescued by the Coast Guard, and 68 were rescued by the Fire Department. Many of the rescued swimmers were airlifted to safety. Local boaters also participated in the rescues. A total of 357 swimmers finished the race.[lxvii]
Shark Bites Woman’s Arm
On October 5, 2003, a woman wading in the ocean checking a fishing net off Cove Park in Kīhei, Maui near Kalama Beach was bitten by a gray-colored shark estimated to be about 4½ feet long. The woman received injuries to her right index finger, right knee, and left thigh.
Barracuda Bites Man’s Arm
In October of 2003, a man swimming in Maui’s Honolua Bay was bitten on the forearm by what was thought to have been a barracuda. The 6-inch wound required 40 stitches. When the attack occurred, the man was in nearshore murky waters about to swim farther offshore to snorkel in the clearer water. Barracudas, known in Hawaiian as kākū, have extremely sharp teeth, and have been known to bite people.[lxviii]
Girl Bitten by Shark
On October 31, 2003, a 13-year-old girl on Kaua‘i’s north shore lost her left arm to a large tiger shark at Makua (Tunnels) surf spot. A nearly 14-foot- (4.3-m-) long tiger shark was caught a few days later in Hanalei Bay, and was believed to have been the shark responsible for the attack.
Plane Crashes Offshore of Maui
On November 16, 2003, a Coast Guard pilot flying his home-built, single engine Cozy III plane to San Francisco, crashed into the ocean off Maui’s north coast. The violent 90-mile per hour impact tore the plane apart. The pilot was able to inflate his life raft, but it was quickly popped by the sharp shards of wreckage.
A Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter searched for 1½ hours in the region before locating the downed pilot 95 miles north of Maui. A Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander, he had been in the water about 3½ hours and suffered two broken vertebrae. He also had cuts and bruises, hypothermia, and chemical burns from floating fuel.
Ironically, the pilot had trained the men who rescued him, and had eaten lunch with them just nine hours before the crash.[lxix]
Man Survives Plane Crash in Ocean
On January 18, 2004, a 56-year-old man flying a home-built Van’s Aircraft RV-8 experimental airplane from O‘ahu to Kaua‘i crash landed in the ocean 25 miles southeast of Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i, about 60 miles from O‘ahu. The pilot was trapped in the upside-down cockpit after the impact inverted the plane and pinned the canopy shut. Underwater for about one minute, the pilot finally freed himself just before the plane sank.
The downed pilot was a Coast Guard civilian volunteer who often flew his own plane. He had contacted air traffic controllers just before the crash, and a Coast Guard helicopter soon arrived and found the man treading water and clutching pieces of the wreckage. He was pulled up in a rescue basket.[lxx]
Surfer Dies in Banzai Pipeline Wipeout
On January 19, 2004, a man from Japan was pulled unconscious from the ocean after a wipeout on a wave at the famous O‘ahu north shore surfing spot, Banzai Pipeline. A large swell had brought waves with faces in excess of 20 feet high, and the man had gone “over the falls” and been driven beneath the water. The powerful wave also broke his board in two.
A fellow surfer retrieved the man after seeing the broken board floating above him, still attached to the victim by a leash. After the man was brought to shore lifeguards re-established a pulse, but he remained unconscious.[lxxi]
Shaking Baffles Kaua‘i Residents
On January 29, 2004 Kaua‘i’s police civil defense, news outlets, and military installations were inundated with reports by residents around the island of an extended shaking, though no one could explain the cause. Theories included earthquakes, sonic booms, distant thunder, a landslide, but no evidence of any of these causes was found[lxxii]
Three Perish in Air Ambulance Crash
On Saturday, January 31, 2004, a Hawai‘i Air Ambulance plane crashed on Hawai‘i Island’s Mauna Kea volcano. The burned wreckage of the 26-year-old medical transport plane was found in heavily forested terrain two days later, on Monday morning, February 2, about 22 miles northwest of Hilo.[lxxiii]
Two Swept Off Shoreline Rocks
On April 1, 2004, a man, a woman, and their 11-year-old son were standing on some shoreline rocks at Kaua‘i’s Lumaha‘i Beach when a rogue wave washed up onto the rocks and pulled the two adults into the ocean. The boy was knocked down, but remained on the rocks.
Lifeguards arrived within minutes from nearby Hanalei Bay, and pulled the two adults from the water. Lifeguards attempted to revive the two drowning victims, but CPR and defibrillation were unsuccessful.[lxxiv]
Shark Kills Maui Surfer
On April 7, 2004, a man surfing in murky waters at a spot called “S-Turns” about 250 yards offshore of Pōhaku Park in Kahana was killed by a shark. The man was bit in the upper thigh, suffering a 14-inch wound. Two people paddling out to surf heard the man yelling for help and provided assistance, but the victim died from loss of blood as he was being brought to shore.[lxxv]
Wave Sweeps Away Man at Olivine Pools
On April 15, 2004, a 41-year-old man and his 14-year-old daughter visiting Maui were struck by a wave in the area known as Olivine Pools on Maui’s northwest shore. A helicopter was able to pull the girl from the ocean unharmed, but the man died and was later pulled from the water about 100 yards offshore. The man’s death was the fourth drowning death in the Islands in just two weeks.
Just three days earlier, on Monday, April 12, a 61-year-old visitor from California was seeking to help his grandchildren in the ocean waters off Anahola, Kaua‘i when he drowned.[lxxvi]
Three Survive Plane Crash on Lava Field
On April 18, 2004, a single-engine Piper Warrior tour plane crashed near Miloli‘i on Hawai‘i Island after being caught in a sudden, extreme downdraft also known as a microburst or wind shear. All three people aboard the plane survived.
The plane was enveloped in thick clouds and heavy rain and the woman passenger said to the pilot, “We can’t see a thing.” As the plane emerged from the clouds the pilot was shocked to see that they were just above the trees, and the slope of Mauna Loa was directly in their path. The pilot said, “Oh my God, we’re too low, we’re going to crash. I’ve got the throttle pulled all the way back and won’t go up, we’re too low.” The pilot then crash-landed the craft on an old lava flow at an elevation of about 4,100 feet above sea level.
The pilot called 911 for help using her cell phone, but could not pinpoint the location of the wreck. Five hours later rescuers found the wrecked plane with the fuselage completely burned. The rescue craft left with two of the survivors but was unable to locate the plane’s pilot.
One Coast Guard rescuer stayed on the scene, and when the noise of the rescue craft subsided, the rescuer heard cries coming from the distant darkness. The pilot, who had hiked to seek help, was found about 150 yards (137 m) away at the bottom of a 100-foot (30 m) ravine. Her arm was severely burned, and her shoes had been melted by the flames, and she suffered further injuries when she fell into the hole.
The two passengers suffered second-degree burns over much of their bodies. The pilot suffered additional burns trying to help one of the passengers out of the burning plane. Officials praised the pilot’s ability to successfully land the plane in the difficult conditions.[lxxvii]
Jellyfish Sting Hundreds in Waikīkī
On July 11, 2004, more than 315 people at Waikīkī beaches were stung by jellyfish, along with 45 stung at other O‘ahu beaches, including Nānākuli and Mā‘ili beaches and Hanauma Bay. Multiple warning signs had been posted, but many ignored the warnings. The jellyfish are known to arrive on local beaches around the 10th day after a full moon.[lxxviii]
Shallow Water Blackout Kills Two
On July 24, 2004 a man competing in the U.S. National Spearfishing Championships on O‘ahu’s north shore did not report back, and was later found dead. The champion spearfisherman died while about 85-feet deep about ¾-mile offshore of Hale‘iwa.
The cause of death was likely a condition known as shallow water blackout, which is caused by oxygen deprivation. Another spearfisher died less than two weeks later offshore of Hawai‘i Island, likely from the same cause.[lxxix]
Monk Seal Bites Man on Rear
On August 26, 2004, a man swimming at popular Po‘ipu Beach on Kaua‘i’s south shore was bitten on his rear end by a monk seal. He was not seriously hurt. About one week later the same seal lunged and barked at two swimmers. The mother had given birth about three weeks earlier, and the aggressive behavior was likely to protect the pup.
Kaua‘i County officials had already closed off an area of the beach around the seal mother and pup, but the seal mother was swimming when the man was bit. This led authorities to expand the protected area and close off all of Po‘ipu Beach until the pup was weaned, several weeks later.[lxxx]
Falling Rock Kills Ranger
On September 14, 2004 a ranger for the National Park Service at Haleakalā National Park Service was killed when she was hit by an estimated two-foot diameter boulder that fell from about 40 feet above where the ranger was clearing a rockfall near the junction between Pi‘ilani and Hāna highways.[lxxxi]
Helicopter Crashes on Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale
On September 24, 2004, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger tour helicopter crashed into a mountain four miles south of Kaua‘i’s Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale at an elevation of about 3,500 feet, killing the four passengers and the pilot. The helicopter burned “beyond recognition” after impact on a nearly vertical slope about 200 feet below the mountain ridgeline, with wreckage sliding 20 to 30 feet down the mountain.
Coast Guard and Navy helicopters as well as eleven tour helicopters searched for the wreckage, which was discovered the next day Rescuers were not able to reach the site due to the weather and the precarious location. It was the first time that rescuers on Kaua‘i were not able to get to a crash site, with no place to set down the copter in the strong winds, and unable to rappel down the steep cliff face.
An Army Black Hawk helicopter was brought in to recover the bodies in the trying conditions. Other helicopters, including a UH-1 Huey, were used to recover the wreckage and the fifth body. On October 1, rescue crews recovered the last body, which had been trapped under the heaviest part of the helicopter.
The crash occurred in an area that was considered a shortcut to the next stop on the tour, Manawaipuna waterfall, also known as Jurassic Falls. The shortcut is considered safe if the pilot maintains a proper elevation.[lxxxii]
Shark Bites Spearfisher
On October 9, 2004 a 34-year-old O‘ahu man who was spearfishing was bitten on the left shoulder and face by an estimated 12-foot shark in murky waters outside Kūpeke Fishpond in southeast Moloka‘i.
At the time of the attack, the man was in water about four feet deep, and saw the shark as it approached him head on. The victim had caught some fish and they were trailing behind him attached to a cord about thirty feet long. “I remember this big force hitting me,” he recalled, “and this big shadow wrapping me up, and I remember just being shaken.”
As the shark returned the man hit it with his uncocked spear gun, and the shark swam away. Quickly losing blood, the victim used his wetsuit to help stop the bleeding. The wound was exacerbated, doctor’s said, by the “...shaking action of the shark’s clamped jaws.”
After the attack, the man was able to climb atop the wall of the fishpond before others spotted him and provided assistance. Several surgeries were required, including a reconstruction of the shoulder area.[lxxxiii]
Boat Capsizes, Killing Two
On October 15, 2004, two fishermen died after their 13-foot Boston Whaler capsized off O‘ahu’s Kewalo Basin. The bodies were retrieved after a search by 20 firefighters and rescue workers, including a Honolulu Fire Department helicopter and rescue boat with the help of the Coast Guard.[lxxxiv]
Plane Crashes on Haleakalā
In October of 2004, a twin engine Cessna 310 airplane crashed in a remote pasture at the 3,700-foot elevation on the slopes of Maui’s Haleakalā Volcano. The pilot was killed as he was thrown about thirty yards from the plane, which crashed in a fireball and started a brush fire. There were no passengers.[lxxxv]
Pilot Ditches Second Plane in Five Years
On November 5, 2004 a 67-year-old pilot flying from Hilo to American Samoa was forced to ditch his Cessna 182 airplane in the ocean about 700 miles south of Honolulu. The plane flipped over and the pilot was able to retrieve a life vest, strobe light, and mirror but not the emergency raft, and the plane quickly sank.
The pilot had reported engine trouble before the crash occurred at about 11:30 a.m. About seven hours later a Coast Guard C-130 plane located the downed pilot, calling it a near miracle that they were able to find him given the vast area they were searching. The man was treading water, and the Coast Guard dropped a raft, and he was able to climb in.
The Coast Guard arranged for the man to be picked up by a cargo container ship that was near the area. Amazingly, the same pilot had been forced to ditch another plane in 1999, when his Piper Cherokee airplane had an engine malfunction 300 miles (483 km) northeast of the Hawaiian Islands as he flew to Hilo from Florida. He floated for ten hours in a life vest before being spotted by a Korean-bound grain freighter.[lxxxvi]
Surf Photographer Dies at Banzai Pipeline
On February 9, 2005 a well-known surf photographer died while taking photos in the water at O‘ahu’s famous Banzai Pipeline. A west swell was occurring at the time, and may have created dangerous currents that swept the 33-year-old onto a shallow reef area.
The same man had been bitten by a shark in 1993 offshore of Goat Island in Mālaekahana, requiring 30 stitches on each foot.[lxxxvii]
Shark Rams Surfboard
On February 16, 2005, a man surfing on O‘ahu’s north shore was struck from below by an estimated 8-foot-long tiger shark. The incident occurred about 40 yards from Rocky Point at Sunset Beach.
The shark hit the board so hard it knocked the wind out of the surfer, who then tried to swim away while kicking at the shark. The man was able to get back on his surfboard and get to shore safely. After the attack the beaches were closed from Sunset Beach to Pipeline.[lxxxviii]
Chute Malfunction Kills Skydiver
On February 6, 2005, a skydiver died when his main parachute malfunctioned over Mokulē‘ia on O‘ahu’s north shore. The chute suffered a “line-over malfunction,” involving one of the chute’s lines looping over the top of the chute.
The Pearl Harbor sailor had 171 jumps logged and was attempting to open his backup chute when he crashed onto the beach. The main chute was deployed at an elevation less than 2,000 feet, leaving little time to react to a chute failure. At about 450 feet he jettisoned the main chute and then at about 250 feet he pulled the handle on his reserve chute. The lines came out but there was not enough time for the parachute to deploy. Beginning divers usually deploy their chutes at elevation of more than 3,500 feet so there is more time to react in case of a mishap.[lxxxix]
In 2002 a male tandem instructor and an 18-year-old woman died when their main and reserve chutes failed over Mokulē‘ia. Another death occurred in 1998 when a well-known skydiving stunt performer crashed into a banana field near Dillingham Airfield after his backup chute became entangled with his main chute.
Boulder Smashes into Home
On [Monday before 3/9/05] a four-foot-diameter boulder estimated to weigh about 450 pounds crashed into a home in O‘ahu’s Palolo Valley. After the boulder came barreling into the home it then crashed through another wall and came to rest in a bedroom closet. The home’s occupants were in the living room when the incident occurred. Less than a year earlier a similar sized rock had rolled down the hill above and just missed the home.
Some earlier boulder incidents in the Hawaiian Islands include a two-ton boulder crashing through a home’s roof in 1954, a one-ton boulder hitting a home in 1958, a car crushed in 1961, and a boulder smashed into the corner of a home in 1993.[xc]
Glider Crash Kills One, Two Survive
On April 6, 2005, an O‘ahu tour glider crashed on a mountain above Dillingham Airfield, killing the 22-year-old pilot. The plane, a Schweitzer 2-33, apparently hit a downdraft and was able to pull out of it, but then immediately hit another downdraft. The region in which the crash occurred is known by pilots as the “toilet bowl” due to unpredictable winds “flushing” up and down the hillsides.
The plane’s two passengers, a 52-year-old man and his 12-year-old daughter, survived. The two were strapped into their seats and trapped in the overturned craft for more than two hours as they waited for rescuers to arrive. They suffered only scrapes and bruises.
Initially the passengers could hear the pilot breathing, but were unable to help him. Eventually rescuers arrived and the two survivors were extricated from the plane and airlifted from the scene. The pilot had received his commercial pilot’s license just weeks before the accident.[xci]
Mother and Infant Survive Cliff Plunge
On April 13, 2005, two people survived and two died when a car plunged nearly 200 feet down a cliff in West Maui. The driver of the car had pulled off at a roadside lookout along the Honoapi‘ilani Highway, and then when leaving the area the driver inadvertently went off the edge. The car came to rest upside down on the rocky beach below.
Killed in the crash were a 34-year-old woman and 18-year-old man. The survivors of the crash included a 16-year-old mother and her three-month-old daughter. The mother was thrown from the vehicle as it fell, and was able to cling to a rock on the cliffside, suffering only minor abrasions. Her infant daughter was strapped into a child safety seat in the back of the car. The child was flown to a hospital on O‘ahu, but suffered only bruises.[xcii]
Shark Bites Surfboard
On May 2, 2005, a man surfing in Maui’s Kū‘au Bay was knocked off his surfboard by a shark that bumped into his ankle and bit into his board. Surfing the spot commonly known as Noriega’s, the man was about 200 feet offshore when the incident occurred, and he saw “...a shark’s gray head, about 18 inches wide, gnawing on the board.” Hammerhead sharks had been seen birthing in the area two days earlier, but it remains unsure what type of shark bit the man’s board. The 7-foot-10-inch surfboard was left with six tooth marks.[xciii]
Shark Bites Surfboard
In October of 2005, an eight-foot (2.4 m) shark jumped from the water and bit the board of a surfer, then proceeded to thrash the board back and forth as the surfer struggled to stay on. The surfer then hit the shark in the nose and attempted to push the shark away. The shark let go and left.[xciv]
Needlefish Impales Man
On July 21, 2005 a blue crocodile needlefish about 4½-feet long impaled a 19-year-old man in the stomach. The victim recalled, “when I looked down, all I saw was eyes and teeth, and it drove right through my chest.”[xcv] Suffering damage to his liver, the victim was taken to Queen’s Hospital.
Needlefish are long and slender, and sometimes skip along the water’s surface. The impaled man was spearfishing in water about seven feet deep when the attack occurred. Experts say such an attack is most likely to occur at night when a light is being used, as was the case in this attack.
After impaling the man the needlefish wriggled loose. The victim underwent surgery and spent three days in intensive care.
Helicopter Crash into Ocean Kills Three, Two Survive
On September 23, 2005, a Heli USA helicopter crashed in the ocean off Hā‘ena. A man and two women died in the crash. The pilot and two other passengers, a married couple, survived.
The pilot claimed he maneuvered his helicopter to avoid an oncoming helicopter. The other two survivors, gave a different account, claiming they did not see any oncoming helicopter. The pilot was later charged with two counts of reckless endangering and one count each of tampering with evidence and providing a false statement to authorities.
Airplane Crashes on Haleakalā
In October of 2005, a twin-engine Cessna 310 airplane crashed on Maui’s Haleakalā Volcano. The crash occurred at about 9:30 p.m. at about the 3,700-foot elevation of the volcano. The pilot was a former employee of United Airlines, had more than 20,000 hours of flight time logged.
Surfer Dies at Banzai Pipeline
On December 2, 2005, a professional surfer died while surfing Banzai Pipeline on O‘ahu’s north shore. The surfer had dropped down the face of the wave when the lip broke and hit him directly from above, ripping his leash off his leg and breaking his board.
When the surfer failed to surface after the wipeout, numerous people ran from the beach into the water and then formed a human chain to search the victim. He was found about ten minutes later about 200 yards east of where the incident occurred.[xcvi]
Shark Attacks Swimmer
On December 21, 2005, a swimmer was attacked by a shark losing his pinkie finger and the top of his ring finger and the side of the palm of his hand. The attack occurred about 400 yards off of Keawakapu Beach on south Maui.
The victim swam part way to shore before being assisted by some surfers and boogie boarders. He saw the shark come up from below, and noted its gray surface and white stomach.
Not long after the attack a 12-foot-long tiger shark was spotted in the area by a fire rescue helicopter. The next day an 8-foot-long tiger shark was spotted by a county helicopter about one mile away, temporarily keeping local beaches closed.[xcvii]
Two Planes Collide in Midair During Refueling Exercise
On December 22, 2005, a C-17 cargo aircraft collided with a fuel-laden Hawai‘i Air National Guard KC-135R tanker aircraft during refueling training about 200 miles off O‘ahu. The accident sent the Air Guard plane into a dive as the crew responded while in a zero-gravity drop. The tail of the Air guard plane sustained minor structural damage.[xcviii]
[i] Historical accounts of the events that occurred at Nu‘uanu Pali vary considerably, and it is possible that some warriors jumped off the precipice rather than surrender. The number of soldiers that died at the head of Nu‘uanu Pali is also uncertain, with estimates varying from 300 to more than 2,000.
[ii] Barbers Point Beach memorializes tyrannical captain’s miscalculation. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/29/2004.
[iii] Known as a hermaphrodite brig, Cleopatra’s Barge had a main mast that was square-rigged while the fore and aft sails were rigged on the mizzen.
[iv] p. 102, Joesting, Edward. Kauai: The Separate Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press, 1984.
[vi] Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H., and Mookini, Esther T. Mookini. Place Names of Hawaii: Revised & Expanded Edition. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1974.
[vii] Hoover, Will. The day Hawai‘i really took off. The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/17/2003. Accessed 5/15/2004 at Internet site: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Dec/17/ln/ln10a.html, 5/15/2004.
[viii] Hoover, Will. The day Hawai‘i really took off. The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/17/2003. Accessed 5/15/2004 at Internet site: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Dec/17/ln/ln10a.html, 5/15/2004.
[ix] Hoover, Will. 1993 attack cost life of beloved zoo star. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/20/2004.
[x] 1944 was year of disaster. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2/08/2004.
[xi] 1944 was year of disaster. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2/08/2004.
[xii] Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H., and Mookini, Esther T. Mookini. Place Names of Hawaii: Revised & Expanded Edition. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1974.
[xiii] Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H., and Mookini, Esther T. Mookini. Place Names of Hawaii: Revised & Expanded Edition. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1974.
[xiv] Updates on volcanic activity may be seen at the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park website (www.nps.gov/havo) and the United States Geological Service (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov).
[xv] More warnings needed by Hālona Blowhole. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/5/2002.
[xvi] Aloha Flight 243: Air Disaster. Internet site: http://www.disastercity.com/flt243/index.htm, 9/01/2001.
[xvii] Kubota, Gary T., and Bernardo, Rosemarie. Shark kills surfer, 57, off Maui: A Napili man dies from loss of blood after being attacked at about 7:05 a.m. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/08/2004.
[xviii] Kubota, Gary T., and Bernardo, Rosemarie. Shark kills surfer, 57, off Maui: A Napili man dies from loss of blood after being attacked at about 7:05 a.m. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/08/2004.
[xix] [Facts to be added.]
[xx] [Facts to be added.]
[xxi] Kubota, Gary T., and Bernardo, Rosemarie. Shark kills surfer, 57, off Maui: A Napili man dies from loss of blood after being attacked at about 7:05 a.m. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/08/2004.
Wilson, Christie. Shark kills surfer off Maui. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/8/2004.
[xxii] Wilson, Christie. The perils of Kīlauea: Lava shelf’s collapse on Sunday came with no warning. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6/15/2004.
[xxiii] Hoover, Will. Slain elephant left tenuous legacy in animal rights: Deadly rampage by Tyke 10 years ago remembered vividly. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/20/2004.
[xxv] Bodyboarder loses foot in shark attack: Brennecke Beach site of latest incident. The Garden Island, 3/26/2004.
[xxvi] Wilson, Christie. The perils of Kīlauea: Lava shelf’s collapse on Sunday came with no warning. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6/15/2004.
[xxvii] TenBruggencate, Jan. Pilot on fatal tour flight said ‘I can’t see.’ The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/12/2001.
[xxviii] Wilson, Christie. Shark kills surfer off Maui. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/08/2004.
[xxix] Death certificate issued in honeymooner’s disappearance. Kaua‘i: The Garden Island, 6/24/01.
[xxx] Waite, David. Man recalls deadly day at Sacred Falls: 30 sue state over 1999 tragedy. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/02/2001.
[xxxi] Wright, Walter. Pilot faulted for crash that killed him, 9 others. The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/02/2001.
[xxxii] Kubota, Gary. Surfer escapes shark’s jaws on Maui. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 5/03/2005.
[xxxiii] Hurley, Timothy. 5 safe in plane’s sea landing: Cessna ditched off coast of Big Island. The Honolulu Advertiser, 5/19/2001.
Clark, Hugh. Crash victim’s body found: Salvage crews lift wreckage from Hilo Bay. The Honolulu Advertiser.
[xxxiv] Cause of death of hikers on lava flow determined. The Honolulu Advertiser.
[xxxv] Lum, Curtis. Jail possible for golf ball incident: Ex-UH student found guilty of injuring girl. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/11/2001.
[xxxvi] Ehime families sign $13 M settlement. The Honolulu Advertiser, 11/14/2002.
[xxxvii] TenBruggencate, Jan. Young humpback jumps, falls on tourist. The Honolulu Advertiser, 2/15/2001.
[xxxviii] Cole, William. Army releases crash report: Pilot of one Black Hawk blamed. Honolulu: Honolulu Advertiser, 08/12/2001. Months after the accident, the widow of the crew took her two young sons to the crash site on the day before Father’s Day, and to her great alarm she found a jawbone at the crash site. This prompted another search of the area, which recovered a credit card, a wedding ring, and more bones.
Gordon, Mike, and Cole, William. Army copter pilot blamed: Findings in fatal collision anger families. Honolulu: Honolulu Advertiser, 08/11/2001.
[xxxix] Missing Big Island woman found dead. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/26/2001.
[xl] Wright, Walter. Diver found safe after 16 hours at sea. O‘ahu: Honolulu Advertiser, 4/09/2001.
[xli] Hurley, Timothy. 5 safe in plane’s sea landing: Cessna ditched off coast of Big Island. The Honolulu Advertiser, 5/19/2001.
****[xlii]**** Ishikawa, Scott. Crash survivor to be interviewed: Plane wreckage studied on Lāna‘i. Honolulu: Honolulu Advertiser, 06/17/2001.
Report: Student pilot may have made wrong turn. Kaua‘i: The Garden Island, 07/17/2001.
TenBruggencate, Jan. Board finds few clues to Lāna‘i plane crash. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6/29/2001.
TenBruggencate, Jan, and Dayton, Kevin. Findings on 3 air crashes released. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/01/2004.
[xliii] Man rescued off Ni‘ihau after swimming 11 hours. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6/09/2001.
[xliv] Curtis, Paul C. Two hurt after leaping from Wailua Falls. The Garden Island, 6/27/2000.
Sprague, Brandon. Third victim within 24-hour period is in stable condition. The Garden Island, 6/28/2000.
[xlv] Clark, Hugh. Luck follows man over Kīlauea rim: Tree breaks 85-foot fall by Navy officer as he runs after hat. O‘ahu: Honolulu Advertiser, 8/06/01.
Clark, Hugh. Navy lieutenant survives fall into volcano. Honolulu Advertiser, 8/06/2001.
Man survives fall into Kilauea. Kaua‘i: The Garden Island, 8/06/01.
[xlvi] Lum, Curtis. Helicopter crash-lands in Kea‘au: All aboard escape serious injury as fire destroys chopper. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/29/2001.
Wright, Walter. Severe engine failure blamed in Big Island helicopter crash-landing. The Honolulu Advertiser, 11/02/2001.
[xlvii] Hiker killed on Maui identified. The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/31/2001.
[xlviii] Windrow, John. 3 boys ride out Makīkī Stream: Water sweeps two a half-mile away. The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/27/2002.
[xlix] Ishikawa, Scott. Teen hospitalized after eating plant. The Honolulu Advertiser, 2/22/2002.
[l] Blakeman, Karen, and Hoover, Will. Diver discovers human leg off Hanauma Bay. The Honolulu Advertiser, 3/03/2002.
[li] Clark, Hugh. Crash survivor recalls ordeal: Man found in tree after truck plummets 300 feet off cliff. The Honolulu Advertiser, 3/19/2002.
[lii] Bodyboarder loses foot in shark attack: Brennecke Beach site of latest incident. The Garden Island, 3/26/2004.
[liii] More warnings needed by Hālona Blowhole. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/5/2002.
[liv] Hurley, Timothy. Rescued kayaker happy to be back. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/01/2002.
[lv] Firefighter rescued from inside lava tube. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/13/2002.
[lvi] Thompson, Rod. Hilo crews lift 5 out of lava hole: the explorers found they lacked the gear and strength to get out. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 9/25/2002.
[lvii] The Garden Island, 1/07/2003.
[lviii] Leidemann, Mike. Pilot judgment faulted in crash: Teen overreached ability, safety board finds. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/1/2004.
[lix] Kubota, Gary T. Hopes dim in Maui flood search: Rescuers will keep looking for two visitors who likely died in flash floods. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/12/2003.
[lx] Wilson, Christie. Marlin spears whale expert off Maui. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/16/2003.
[lxi] Kubota, Gary T. NTSB cites cargo cable in 2003 copter crash. The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/30/2004.
[lxii] TenBruggencate, Jan. 4 rescued in Kaua‘i sea cave: Lifeguards use teamwork, timing to save lives. The Honolulu Advertiser, 5/28/2003.
[lxiii] Dayton, Kevin. Visitor bitten by eel sues resort: Mauna Lani pond called a hazard. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/01/2004.
[lxiv] Espanol, Zenaida Serrano. Fewer stung as jellyfish leave shores. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6/25/2003.
[lxv] Briscoe, David. Crash blamed on too little analysis: NASA says the Helios, which plummeted off Kauai, was not suited for turbulence. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 9/04/2004.
Sommer, Anthony. Bad vibes still rank as Helios affliction. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/11/2003.
TenBruggencate, Jan. ‘Severe’ bending seen in solar craft: Reason for loss of stability unclear. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/11/2003.
[lxvi] Apgar, Sally. Rescuer held hand as crash victim died: Bad weather kept the woman from getting from the helicopter to the Kauai hospital. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/27/2003.
At crash site, woman clung to life. The Garden Island, 7/28/2003.
Chang, Lester. Crash wreckage recovered from Wai‘ale‘ale Crater: Helicopter slid several hundred feet before stopping. The Garden Island, 7/27/2003.
Chang, Lester. Four bodies recovered from crash site. The Garden Island, 7/25/2003.
Chang, Lester. Helicopter crashes into Wai‘ale‘ale Crater: Five dead including woman who dies after surviving impact. The Garden Island, 7/24/2003.
Cook, Chris. Copter crash wreckage salvage nearly complete: FAA could suggest tour helicopter changes. The Garden Island, 7/28/2003.
Most of helicopter wreckage recovered. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/28/2003.
TenBruggencate, Jan. Helicopter crash on Kaua‘i kills pilot, 4 tourists. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/24/2003.
5 die in Kauai copter crash: A rescue helicopter is scheduled to try today to recover the bodies. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/24/2003.
[lxvii] 360 need rescuing in Roughwater Swim. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/02/2003.
[lxviii] Barracuda suspected in attack off Maui. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 10/27/2003.
Fish bite leads to 40 stitches for Maui man. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/27/2003.
Hurley, Timothy. Maui man pledges caution after bite from sea creature. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/28/2003.
Scott, Susan. Ocean Watch: Researcher experiences fish’s ferocity. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
[lxix] Boylan, Peter. Pilot survives crash off Maui: Coast Guard crew rescues buddy at sea. The Honolulu Advertiser, 11/17/2003.
Hurley, Timothy. Rescued pilot embarrassed, but glad to be alive. The Honolulu Advertiser, 11/18/2003.
Kubota, Gary T. Thoughts of wife, kids kept him afloat: William Swears felt sheepish as his own unit rescued him. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 10/18/2003.
[lxx] Blakeman, Karen. Pilot OK after ocean rescue: Coast Guard makes save southeast of Līhu‘e. The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/19/2004.
Fujimori, Leila. Home-built airplane crashes off Kauai: The pilot is safe and in good condition after being rescued by the Coast Guard. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1/19/2004.
[lxxi] Gordon, Mike. Surfer dies 11 days after Banzai Pipeline wipeout. The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/31/2004.
[lxxii] TenBruggencate, Jan. Mysterious shudder has Kaua‘i residents abuzz: Quake, sonic boom, thunder suspected. The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/31/2004.
[lxxiii] Vorsino, Mary. NTSB investigators comb crash site: Pieces of wreckage found on the Big Isle will be examined at Hilo airport hangar. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2/05/2004.
[lxxiv] TenBruggencate, Jan. Kaua’i wave kills couple, spares son. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/02/2004.
[lxxv] Wilson, Christie. Shark kills surfer off Maui. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/08/2004.
Kubota, Gary T., and Bernardo, Rosemarie. Shark kills surfer, 57, off Maui. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/08/2004.
[lxxvi] Hurley, Timothy. Californian drowns off Maui: Man becomes fourth tourist to die in ocean in two weeks. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/16/2004.
[lxxvii] Vorsino, Mary. Tour plane crashes on Big Isle; 3 injured. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/19/2004.
Dayton, Kevin. Plane-crash survivors endure painful recovery: Nearly 1 year later, Ohio couple faces huge medical bills. The Honolulu Advertiser, 3/06/2005.
Dayton, Kevin. Skills praised of pilot caught in “downdraft.” The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/22/2004.
Dayton, Kevin, and Boylan, Peter. “I couldn’t believe anyone survived”: Plane crash rescue recounted. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/20/2004
[lxxviii] Gonser, James. Jellyfish invasion hits bathers hard: Watch eases after 318 swimmers stung Sunday in Waikīkī. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/13/2004.
Bernardo, Rosemarie. Box jellyfish sting more than 300: Safety officials say swimmers are disregarding signs posted in Waikiki. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/12/2004.
[lxxix] Vorsino, Mary. Diver dies in tournament: A search turns up the body of a champion spearfisherman in 80 too 90 feet of water. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/25/2004.
Big Island man dies while free diving. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/06/2004.
[lxxx] TenBruggencate, Jan. Monk seal on Kaua‘i bites pushy tourist in the butt. The Honolulu Advertiser, 8/27/2004.
[lxxxi] Hurley, Timothy. Boulder kills Maui ranger: Seasonal worker was clearing rockfall when she was struck. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/15/2004.
[lxxxii] Chang, Lester. Five missing in helicopter crash. The Garden Island, 9/26/2004.
Finnegan, Tom. ...grounded another day. The Garden Island, 9/27/2004.
Finnegan, Tom. Last helicopter victim retrieved: Authorities officially confirm identities of five victims. The Garden Island, 10/02/2004.
TenBruggencate, Jan. Copter ‘ran into mountain’: Rescuers will try to recover bodies today from Kaua‘i cliffside. The Honolulu Advertiser, 9/26/2004.
TenBruggencate, Jan. Copter wreckage yields few clues so far: Pilot may have been taking shortcut to Kaua‘i waterfall. The Garden Island, 10/05/2004.
TenBruggencate, Jan. 5th body pulled from crash: Federal investigators to look into number of recent accidents. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/02/2004.
[lxxxiii] Aguiar, Eloise. Doctors operate on shark victim. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/16/2004.
Aguiar, Eloise. Shark victim facing surgeries: Friend who came to aid feared blood loss would prove fatal. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/12/2004.
Boylan, Peter. Moloka‘i shark victim saw shoulder ‘gone’: Pearl Harbor worker will be moved to O‘ahu hospital today.
Hoover, Will. Shark attack victim facing long recovery. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/20/2004.
Shark attacks diver off Moloka‘i. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/10/2004.
Vorsino, Mary. Shark attacks diver off Molokai: The Kaneohe man is airlifted too Maui with deep lacerations. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 10/10/2004.
[lxxxiv] Waite, David, and Hoover, Will. Boat capsizes, 2 bodies found: Fishing buddies were on outing off Kewalo Basin. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/16/2004.
[lxxxv] Hurley, Timothy. Plane crash probe to begin: Pilot killed; fireball on Haleakalā seen from miles away. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/19/2004.
Pilot was owner of aviation company: Ward Mareels also was well respected as male midwife. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/20/2004.
[lxxxvi] Boylan, Peter. Safety gear paid off in pilot’s 2nd rescue at sea. The Honolulu Advertiser, 10/06/2004.
[lxxxvii] Hoover, Will. Photographer dies at Pipeline. The Honolulu Advertiser, 2/10/2005.
[lxxxviii] Fujimori, Leila. Shark bumps surfer on North Shore: An estimated 8-foot tiger shark surprises the professional surfer off Rocky Point. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2/17/2005.
[lxxxix] Nakaso, Dan. Skydiving accident kills Pearl sailor, 24. The Honolulu Advertiser, 2/07/2004.
[xc] Bernardo, Rosemarie. Boulder crash worries Palolo neighborhood. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 3/09/2005.
[xci] Lum, Curtis, and Boylan, Peter. Crash kills pilot; dad, child survive: Pair stuck in glider wreckage signal for help with camera. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/07/2005.
Vorsino, Mary. Pilot is killed in tour glider crash: Two passengers of the newly licensed pilot are rescued from the Mokuleia wreck. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/07/2005.
[xcii] Hurley, Timothy. Infant, teen mom survive car plunge: Two others killed after vehicle dives off West Maui cliff. The Honolulu Advertiser, 4/14/2005.
Kubota, Gary T. 2 killed in plunge off Maui cliff: A teen and her baby survive the car’s slide from a turnoff past the Lahaina pali lookout. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 4/14/2005.
[xciii] Hurley, Timothy. Surfer ‘shaken up’ after shark rams him on Maui: Kū‘au Bay beaches closed until at least this morning. The Honolulu Advertiser, 5/03/2005.
Kubota, Gary. Surfer escapes shark’s jaws on Maui. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 5/03/2005.
[xciv] Maui surfer tangles with 8-foot shark. The Garden Island, 10/17/05.
[xcv] Moreno, Loren. Needlefish victim recalls attack: Fisherman, still in pain, not sure if he’ll dive again. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7/30/2005.
[xcvi] Lum, Curtis. Top surfer dies at Pipeline: Tahitian Malik Joyeux well known on North Shore.
[xcvii] Kubota, Gary T. Shark sighting forces more beach closures: Maui spots could reopen today after officials meet. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 12/23/2005.
[xcviii] Cole, William. Air tragedy averted 200 miles off O‘ahu: Hickam commander one of pilots in C-17 tanker collision. The Honolulu Advertiser, 12/28/2005.