Pilot, 2 Passengers Identified in Kauaʻi Helicopter Crash

Nāpali Coast. PC: File courtesy DLNR.

The pilot and two passengers on board a downed helicopter in steep terrain in the remote Kōkeʻe area of Kauaʻi have been preliminarily identified, according to the flight manifest.

Kauaʻi police believe the pilot is 69-year-old Paul Metro of Wailua, and identified two of the six passengers as 47-year-old Amy Gannon and 13-year-old Jocelyn Gannon of Wisconsin.

The four other passengers are believed to be a family from Switzerland, however, their identities have not yet been released at this time.

Autopsies to positively confirm all identities are still pending.

Some of the remains of the individuals were recovered Friday afternoon at the site of the helicopter wreckage in Kōke‘e near steep, remote terrain between Miloli‘i Ridge Road and Nu‘alolo Trail.

Recovery efforts were suspended on Friday afternoon due to inclement weather and resumed Saturday morning.

The Kauaʻi Fire Department, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Kauaʻi Police Department are all assisting in the effort.

Life’s Bridges, a grief-counseling agency, the American Red Cross and the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau have been providing aid to the victims’ families as well.