According to sources, four persons were killed when a civilian-contracted helicopter crashed at a US Navy installation.
The event occurred soon after 10 a.m. local time Tuesday at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, a Navy station on Kauai, Hawaii.
Croman Corporation, which “provides range support services” to the installation, operated the helicopter, according to a Pacific Missile Range Facility representative.
According to the spokesman, the helicopter was participating in a range training mission on the Kekaha facility when it crashed in the northern section of the site.
According to the spokeswoman, emergency responders attended to the collision. There were four people killed. The identities of those slain have yet to be revealed.
Croman personnel made up all four crew members, according to Brian Beattie, the company’s head of operations.
“The helicopter was conducting standard training activities for the US Navy,” Beattie explained. “No additional information is provided.”
According to a spokeswoman for the Pacific Missile Range Facility, an investigation is ongoing to ascertain the cause of the accident.
The NTSB has also verified that it is examining the accident of a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter near Kekaha.
The Federal Aviation Administration is also looking into it, according to Beattie.
According to the US Navy, the Pacific Missile Range Facility is the “world’s biggest instrumented, multi-dimensional testing and training missile range.” It controls about 42,000 square miles of airspace.
