Airbus AS350B2 accident near Kekaha, Hawaii, December 27, 2019
On December 27, 2019 at about 2:57 am local time, a 1998 Airbus AS350B2 (helicopter), registered N985SA, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Kekaha, Hawaii. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 7 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to continue flight under visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which resulted in the collision into terrain. Contributing to the accident was Safari Aviation Inc.’s lack of safety management processes to identify hazards and mitigate the risks associated with factors that influence pilots to continue VFR flight into IMC. Also contributing to the accident was the Federal Aviation Administration’s delayed implementation of a Hawaii aviation weather camera program, its lack of leadership in the development of a cue-based weather training program for Hawaii air tour pilots, and its ineffective monitoring and oversight of Hawaii air tour operators’ weather-related operating practices.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 2019 · about 2:57 am local time
- Place
- Kekaha, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 7 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Airbus AS350B2, built 1998
- Registration
- N985SA · no longer on the register · serial 3111
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 26, 2019, about 1657 Hawaii standard time, an Airbus AS350 B2 helicopter, N985SA, was destroyed when it collided into terrain in a remote, wooded area about 11 miles north of Kekaha, Hawaii, on the island of Kauai. The pilot and the six passengers were fatally injured. Safari Aviation Inc. (Safari), doing business as Safari Helicopters, operated the flight as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 on-demand air tour under visual flight rules (VFR).
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Effect on operation
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Safety programs › Adequacy of safety program › Operator
- Organizational issues › Management › Resources › Availability of equipment › FAA/Regulator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of reg compliance › FAA/Regulator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Training › Emergency proc training › FAA/Regulator
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 15,718 hours in all; 5,814.2 in this make and model; 126.4 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 15,714 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 16, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 21,854.1 hours
- Landing gear: fixed
- Not recorded
- Operator: Safari Aviation Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Lihue HI at 4:31 pm
- Destination: Lihue HI
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft; a few clouds at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
46 documents, released by the NTSB on December 15, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N985SA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.