The pilot’s decision to fly in bad weather was the probable cause of a helicopter crash that killed two on Molokai in 2016, federal investigators said in a new report.
Notable Honolulu attorney Gary Galiher was flying a Hughes 369D helicopter from Honolulu to his private helipad near Pukoo in East Molokai when he crashed into the side of a mountain about three-quarters of a mile north of his home. Galiher and real estate agent Keiko Kuroki, who was his passenger, were killed.
He was known nationally for representing clients in cases related to mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos, for more than 35 years.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in its final report of the crash released earlier this month that Galiher was likely searching for his helipad while flying in poor visibility in an area of rising terrain. A witness told investigators she saw Galiher’s helicopter fly into a cloud near his home.
Without the visual cues necessary to maintain clearance above the ground, Galiher likely became geographically disoriented and flew into the mountainside, the report said.
Galiher, 70, and Kuroki left Daniel K. Inouye International Airport at 5:56 p.m. Nov. 15, 2016, for the 30-minute flight to his second home in Molokai. His mechanic told investigators that he advised Galiher not to fly because of the weather, but Galiher took off anyway because he had to tend to business.
The mechanic could not reach Galiher after his expected arrival time, and the next morning a search was launched after Galiher’s caretaker could not find the pilot or the helicopter. Maui firefighters found the wreckage in a remote area of the mountain about 1:30 that afternoon.
Neighbors told Maui police they saw the helicopter flying in the dark with its searchlight on in windy and rainy conditions. One neighbor told federal investigators the rain appeared to be falling at a 45 to 90 degree angle to the ground in the helicopter’s spotlight.
Galiher was an experienced pilot with 4,210 hours of flight time and 500 hours in the helicopter model that crashed. His assistant told investigators that Galiher flew to Molokai about every other week, often at night. The day of the crash, the sun had set at 5:46 p.m. and the moon was not visible until about 7:30 p.m. Investigators said the crash occurred at 6:41 p.m.
The wreckage field was about 80 feet long and 25 feet wide, nearly 1,400 feet up Kamakou Mountain. Investigators found one of the skids embedded more than 2 feet into the dirt, consistent with a forward-flight impact.
A fire after the crash completely consumed the cabin and cockpit, but Galiher’s watch was recovered at the scene; it’s hands stopped at 6:41 p.m.
Numerous experts performed a detailed examination of the wreckage at a hanger in Maui and found no evidence of mechanical problems that would have caused the crash, the report said. The helicopter had passed an annual inspection two months earlier.
The NTSB said Galiher had lights on the perimeter of his roof and on his helipad, but they would have been difficult to see in the reduced visibility.
The report said tree and ground marks indicated a relatively level approach angle to the ground of about 18 degrees, indicating a ground impact while flying forward.
