The pilot of a two-seat private helicopter made an emergency landing Tuesday in Ewa Beach after noticing smoke coming from an engine compartment.
Upon inspection, mechanics found nothing wrong with the helicopter, said George Hanzawa, co-owner, chief executive officer and chief of maintenance for George’s Aviation, which owns the bright yellow chopper.
No one was injured when the helicopter landed, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the 12:45 p.m. precautionary landing of the Robinson R22 Beta rotorcraft, tail number N7062F, which was due to unspecified engine problems, an FAA spokesman in an email.
After a thorough inspection by George’s Aviation mechanics, the helicopter was signed off as safe to fly, and the helicopter pilot flew it back to Honolulu, Hanzawa said.
Prior to the unplanned landing, an airplane instructor was piloting the helicopter for the first time. One of the company’s helicopter instructors was in the passenger seat, said Hanzawa.
Hanzawa said the pilot used the wrong description when saying he was making an emergency landing, which prompted a host of first responders including Emergency Medical Services and fire personnel to rush to the scene where the pilot executed a controlled, crash-free landing, he said.
"Helicopter pilots are trained to do a controlled landing … just in case something was bad," Hanzawa said.
Fire Capt. David Jenkins said the pilot of the helicopter landed after he noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment.
Hanzawa said the helicopter pilot (the flight’s passenger) likely reported the smoke because the helicopter’s door was off and the passenger was probably smelling exhaust.
"He said the engine sounded different," said Hanzawa, who added that might have been because the passenger was "not used to the extra sounds" as he usually flies the helicopter in an enclosed cockpit with both doors attached.
The pilot landed in an open lot near a lagoon within the Hoakalei development at the end of Keoneula Boulevard.
The construction site is guarded and fenced off, and is part of a 1,100-acre Haseko development.
Sharene Saito Tam, vice president of Haseko Development Corp., identified the pilot as Michael Tepper and the passenger as Brandon Ahlo. The passenger’s identification had yet to be confirmed Tuesday night.
Tam said contractors at the site checked on the pilot and his passenger to see whether they had landed safely. A Haseko worker also stayed with the helicopter’s two occupants until George’s Aviation personnel arrived to pick them up.
