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Salvage work continues for grounded yacht at Honolua Bay; owner faces hefty fines

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Crews are still working to remove a grounded vessel off Maui.

It’s been nearly a week since a luxury yacht ran aground at Honolua Bay, damaging one of the most treasured surfing spots on Maui.

According to state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the yacht’s owner is unable to pay for the removal of the vessel but the state will bill the owner $460,000 and take legal action if needed.

Crews made some progress in moving the vessel off the rocks and the reef over the weekend. But as of Monday morning, it’s still stuck.

After successfully defueling on Saturday, a salvage ship came in and tried pulling the 94-foot, 120-ton yacht named Nakoa from the rocky shoreline.

Previous Coverage

• DLNR: Crews successfully defuel luxury yacht grounded at Honolua Bay
• Cleanup efforts underway after grounded luxury yacht leaked fuel into Maui bay
• Maui officials: Luxury yacht that ran aground near marine sanctuary leaked fuel into bay

The land department said crews pulled the yacht more than a dozen times during high tide and got it to move around 10 to 20 feet.

But, they said it still needs to move another 20 to 30 feet before it’s in the open ocean.

The owner told Hawaii News Now last week, the mooring line broke as he was about to leave and that he wasn’t being negligent.

The yacht leaked some fuel into the water and damaged the coral below but the full extent of the environmental impact is unclear at this time.

The dirt road at Lipoa Point will remain closed during the salvage operations.

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Extensive coral damage from luxury yacht that ran aground off Maui

KAPALUA, Hawaii — The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources sent divers to the site where a luxury yacht ran aground off Maui and found damage to nearly 20,000 square feet of coral and live rock.

What You Need To Know

A team with the division of aquatic resources assessed damage from when the yacht ran aground and when it was dragged off the flat reef into deeper water during the intitial grounding, 19 coral colonies were damaged when the boat was dragged off the reef, two parallel scars damaged 101 coral colonies dlnr said the yacht’s owner is responsible for costs related to salvaging the yacht and damaging coral.

The yacht, Nakoa, ran aground just outside the Honolua-Mokuleia Marine Life Conservation District two weeks ago and was finally freed on Sunday after three attempts. It then sank in 800 feet of water, where it will remain. 

The four-person DAR team assessed both initial damage from when the vessel was grounded and scars from when the boat was dragged off the flat reef surface into deeper water. 

The assessment revealed that, during the initial grounding, 19 coral colonies were damaged. 

From when the boat was dragged off the reef, there are two parallel scars that extend 246 feet into the water. The first 49 feet comprises deep, trench-like scars, which are about 16 feet apart. In this area, the DAR team found 101 damaged coral colonies, and damage to live rock covering nearly 2,099 square feet. 

After DAR completed the assessment, a team with the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute collected more than 100 fragments from damaged coral. The team plans to recover more fragments soon. The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute will grow out the coral fragments at its lab for future coral restoration projects. 

The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute team also identified colonies of dislodged corals that will be reattached when the weather improves. 

DLNR said the yacht’s owner is responsible for costs related to salvaging the yacht and damaging coral and live rock. The salvage company and tug company will not be held responsible for any damage. 

A final version of the assessment will be presented to the Board of Land and Natural Resources. DAR will also recommend fines and penalties for the damage. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke  covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at  [email protected] .

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94-foot yacht freed from Maui rocky shoreline only to sink 800 feet deep

Nearly two weeks after a 120-ton, 94-foot luxury yacht grounded in Honolua Bay on Maui, a salvage ship and a tugboat from Honolulu finally freed the vessel named Nakoa from the rocky shoreline.

But there is no happy ending for the yacht.

It is now at the bottom of the ocean, about 800 feet deep.

The multimillion-dollar yacht had suffered severe holes in the hull during the days it was grounded, with the rough surf pounding it repeatedly against the rocks of the shoreline.

“It had taken on water, was listing starboard and riding bow high after being pulled free by a tractor tug early this afternoon,” according to the state Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.

The yacht sank.

It was the end to an ordeal that began nearly two weeks ago when the yacht grounded just outside the Honolua-Mokulē‘ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District. Although the area has day-use moorings with a time limit of two hours, yacht owner Jim Jones told media that he didn’t know the rules  and stayed overnight with his family when one of the lines snapped and the boat hit the rocks.

It has been quite the ordeal to salvage the boat.

Once the boat stated leaking fuel, the U.S. Coast Guard federalized the vessel, meaning it has jurisdiction over the yacht which cannot be moved until all hazardous material was removed .

When that process was done the state Department of Land and Natural Resources took over because Jones said he did not have the money to pay for the salvage operation. The state organized and is paying for the operation, but will be sending Jones a bill, which initially was for $460,000 plus. But that will be sure to go up due to all the problems encountered during the salvage.

Once the hazardous material was removed, Visonary Marines’s salvage ship Kahi from Honolulu tried to removed the yacht from the reef but failed after multiple pulls. Sause Brothers’ tractor tug Mary Catherine was called in from Honolulu to help, but the second attempt with both boats also failed. Then bad weather forced both salvage boats to return to Honolulu.

They returned to Maui on Saturday.

A crew from the salvage ship rigged lines to the yacht Nakoa   all day Saturday and Sunday morning to prepare for the third attempt.

Prior to the 3,300-horsepower tug hooking up, the salvage crew used a carbon cutter to free either the yacht’s prop or rudder, believed to be the reason earlier attempts did not succeed, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

On Sunday, there were ideal weather and ocean conditions for the complex and costly operation. Once the tug turned the boat 90 degrees it pulled out into deeper water. 

“The yacht was listing to one side and riding bow high and it’s unknown at this time whether it was successfully pulled all the way to Honolulu or had to be scuttled in 1,000-foot-deep water offshore,” the Department and Land and Natural Resources said.

Department Chair Dawn Chang watched the salvage operation on Sunday with Maui Mayor Richard Bissen and Maui County Council member Tamara Paltin. Chang said she heard almost immediately from Randy Cates, the owner and operator of Visionary Marine. 

“I’m beyond words,” Chang said. “I extended our appreciation to him and his crew for doing a tough, thankless job when others in the industry were questioning the wisdom of taking it on. We all thought today was it. It was either going to happen or not. I’m extremely pleased.” 

Chang said the state will aggressively pursue recouping all salvage costs from the owner, which originally were set at $460,000 plus before delays and the need for a second boat were included in the cost.

It also does not include the cost to repair damage to coral reefs and live rock. A team from the state Division of Aquatic Resources will return to the grounding location this week to conduct a post-incident damage assessment. 

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Maui businessman, captain sued for $2M after grounding luxury yacht

A business owner whose luxury yacht ran aground and leaked diesel fuel into waters off Maui last month is being sued for more than $2 million in damages by a trust that sold him the vessel.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Monday seeks at least $1.45 million for the loss of the yacht, which was supposed to be paid off over the course of 15 years. It also seeks at least $500,000 for salvage work and at least $500,000 for environmental damages.

Kevin and Kimberly Albert, trustees of the Albert Revocable Trust in New Mexico, filed the lawsuit against Jim Jones, his company Noelani Yacht Charters, and ship captain Kimberley Kalalani Higa.

The lawsuit says the only approved captain on the insurance policy was Joe Bardouche. Both have a 100 T U.S. Coast Guard license.

The lawsuit says Jones and his company used the vessel “in a grossly negligent manner” for a personal trip without seeking the approval of the trust.

The 94-foot yacht Nakoa ran aground in Honolua Bay on Feb. 20 after its mooring line snapped. Private contractors towed the ship out to sea, where it sank in about 800 feet (244 meters) of water on March 5.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources plans to bill Jones for the $460,000 cost of salvaging the boat. It's also considering fines after the episode damaged coral reef.

The lawsuit says Jones notified the trust after the grounding that he had taken the yacht out for personal use.

It says Jones and Noelani Yacht Charters breached a purchase agreement holding the buyer responsible for any risk of loss or damage. The agreement also outlined operations, crew requirements and restricted uses.

A phone message left for Jones at Noelani Yacht Charters was not immediately returned. The company's website says it's no longer in business.

The company told The Maui News in February that “this was a family retreat with an unfortunate ending.”

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Lawsuit over grounded yacht seeks $2 million in damages

Plaintiffs claim owner failed to follow their purchase agreement, rules of honolua bay.

The luxury yacht Nakoa is seen grounded at Honolua Bay on Feb. 24. The people who sold the yacht to Noelani Yacht Charters and Jim Jones are now suing for damages after the yacht spent nearly two weeks grounded on the reef before it was towed out to sea and eventually scuttled. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

The trust that sold the 94-foot luxury yacht to Noelani Yacht Charters and owner Jim Jones is seeking more than $2 million in damages after the boat ran aground during a family sail along the West Maui coast and had to be towed from the reef and scuttled at sea.

Kevin and Kimberly Albert, trustees of the Albert Revocable Trust in New Mexico, say that Jones and the company purchased the yacht for $1.45 million in December and used the commercial vessel “in a grossly negligent manner” for a personal trip without seeking the approval of the trust, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court against Jones, the company and the captain.

The Alberts are seeking at least $1.45 million for the loss of the yacht, which was supposed to be paid off over the course of 15 years, as well as at least $500,000 for the salvage work and at least $500,000 for environmental damages.

Jones and his wife, along with four juvenile family members or friends, a captain, first mate and a crew member, began their trip Feb. 17 when the yacht, Nakoa, was moored at Lahaina Roads, according to the lawsuit. They traveled along the coast to places like Black Rock, Kapalua Bay and Honolua Bay before mooring overnight on Feb. 18 and 19 in Honolua Bay, where mooring is limited to two and a half hours per vessel per day and overnight mooring is prohibited.

The lawsuit says neither the captain nor Jones took the standard precaution of setting a manned mooring or anchor watch but instead relied solely on a digital anchor alarm.

The website of Noelani Yacht Charters, which once offered luxury yacht packages, reports that the company is no longer in business. This screenshot was taken Tuesday. Screenshot of Noelani Yacht Charters website

At about 5:20 a.m. on Feb. 20, Jones heard a notification from the anchor alarm around the same time as the captain noticed that the Nakoa was adrift. They started up the engines and tried to maneuver the boat but ultimately ran aground.

Efforts to salvage the yacht took nearly two weeks as federal and state officials worked to remove fuel, batteries and other hazardous materials. Hampered by poor weather and failed rigging, private contractors managed to free the yacht after multiple tries and towed it out to sea, where it sank in about 800 feet of water on March 5, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

DLNR has reported the salvage cost alone was $460,000 and planned to bill Jones. The department is also mulling fines after discovering that the yacht damaged corals and live rock across more than 19,000 square feet.

After the grounding, Jones notified the trust that he had taken the yacht out for personal use, the lawsuit says.

The trust is alleging that Jones and Noelani Yacht Charters breached the purchase agreement from December that outlined operations, crew requirements and restricted uses, and held the buyer responsible for any risk of loss or damage.

The trust raised complaints about Jones and the company “failing to notify the Trust about personal use of the Vessel, failing to obtain permission to use the Vessel for personal use, substituting an unapproved and unqualified captain to operate the Vessel and failing to adequately secure the financial interests of the yacht charter operations to adequately protect the interest of the Trust.”

According to the lawsuit, the captain of the Nakoa during the trip was licensed but was not the listed and approved captain on the yacht’ insurance policy.

Noelani Yacht Charters, which prior to the grounding had offered high-end luxury yacht vacation packages based out of Oahu, is no longer in business, according to its website.

Jones could not be immediately reached via email on Tuesday evening.

The company told The Maui News in February that “this was a family retreat with an unfortunate ending.”

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at [email protected].

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A 100-foot luxury yacht is sparking outrage after crashing into the Hawaiian coastline — here’s how much damage it did

C oral reefs across the globe are already feeling the strain from the changing temperatures, tourism, and overfishing, and now one Hawaiian reef can add one more stressor to its list — a grounded luxury yacht that has caused extensive damage off the coast of Maui.

What happened?

At the end of February, a 94-foot, 120-ton luxury yacht called Nakoa ran aground on Maui, causing damage to over 19,400 square feet of the area’s coral reef — just over the size of four basketball courts.

The Nakoa was stuck on the reef for two weeks before it was pulled free when it sank 800 feet underwater and caused more damage to the reef as it was towed back to Honolulu.

When divers from the Hawai’i State Division of Aquatic Resources initially assessed the damage, they found that 19 coral colonies were damaged by the Nakoa’s first grounding. But after the yacht was dragged along the sea bed, it left 101 impacted coral colonies and 2,099 square feet of damaged live rock in its wake.

Why is the grounded yacht concerning?

Coral reefs are in rapid decline around the world because of warming temperatures, shipping, and tourism. 

When the ocean gets too warm, coral becomes stressed and expels the algae that live inside it, giving it its bleached appearance. If the coral stays stressed for too long, it will not allow the algae to return. Without the algae, the coral dies.

In Hawaii, mass bleaching events wiped out large areas of coral reefs in 2014 and 2015, in some cases causing up to 50% of the coral to die out. 

Passing boats and trampling scuba divers can also damage the reefs. Overtourism leads to more littering, disturbance of local wildlife, and pollution from sunscreen .

Researchers have warned that the world’s coral reefs could vanish by 2050 unless we strengthen our efforts to protect them.

That’s bad news for marine biodiversity. Coral reefs are home to a quarter of all fish species in the world’s oceans and also help to shelter the coast from storms . In Hawaii alone, an estimated 7,000 species of plants and animals live on 410,000 acres of coral reef — 1,250 of which can only be found on Hawaii’s shoreline. 

What’s being done about the damaged coral reef?

The Hawai’i State Division of Aquatic Resources is working with the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute to repair as much of the reef as possible. 

Divers from the Maui Ocean Center Marine have already recovered more than 100 pieces of dislodged coral and will continue to look for more. The marine institute lab will grow out these coral fragments to be used in future reef restoration projects. Once conditions in the ocean improve, the retrieved pieces will then be reattached to the reef. 

The yacht’s owner will be held liable for the costs of salvaging the damaged rock and coral. The owner has been denied insurance coverage for the removal and has hired a bankruptcy attorney.

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A 100-foot luxury yacht is sparking outrage after crashing into the Hawaiian coastline — here’s how much damage it did first appeared on The Cool Down .

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Maui businessman sued for $2M after grounding luxury yacht

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WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — A business owner whose luxury yacht ran aground and leaked diesel fuel into waters off the Hawaiian island of Maui last month is being sued for more than $2 million in damages by a trust that sold him the vessel.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Monday seeks at least $1.45 million for the loss of the yacht, which was supposed to be paid off over the course of 15 years, The Maui News reported . It also seeks at least $500,000 for salvage work and at least $500,000 for environmental damages.

Kevin and Kimberly Albert, trustees of the Albert Revocable Trust in New Mexico, filed the lawsuit against Jim Jones, his company Noelani Yacht Charters and the ship captain. It says Jones and his company used the vessel “in a grossly negligent manner” for a personal trip without seeking the approval of the trust.

The 94-foot yacht Nakoa ran aground in Honolua Bay on Feb. 20 after its mooring line snapped. Private contractors towed the ship out to sea, where it sank in about 800 feet (244 meters) of water on March 5.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources plans to bill Jones for the $460,000 cost of salvaging the boat. It’s also considering fines after the episode damaged coral reef.

The lawsuit says Jones notified the trust after the grounding that he had taken the yacht out for personal use.

It says Jones and Noelani Yacht Charters breached a purchase agreement holding the buyer responsible for any risk of loss or damage. The agreement also outlined operations, crew requirements and restricted uses.

A phone message left for Jones at Noelani Yacht Charters was not immediately returned. The company’s website says it’s no longer in business.

The company told The Maui News in February that “this was a family retreat with an unfortunate ending.”

Private luxury yacht spills diesel into protected marine sanctuary on Maui

A private luxury yacht that ran aground on rocks and reef Monday morning at Honolua Bay – a popular surfing spot and protected marine sanctuary in west Maui – has  leaked fuel  into the ocean, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. 

A sheen of fuel was visible on the water on Tuesday morning and during the afternoon, "you could still smell fuel in the air," according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. 

Maui County officials issued an emergency permit  on Tuesday morning to intervene "in response to the increasing risk of damage to the reef and ecosystem" that the stuck yacht poses. "The longer the vessel remains in the sensitive area the higher the risk of damage," said Mayor Richard Bissen Jr., in a statement. 

A team from the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Aquatic Resources did an initial underwater assessment of any damage to coral reefs and live rocks, which are protected by state law, around the boat and found about 30 to be damaged. Although further assessment is required, the boat owner could face "significant penalties."

Officials said it will likely take a few more days before the yacht can be freed from the reef. The U.S. Coast Guard federalized the yacht, meaning all fuel, batteries and any other pollutants on board must be removed first. 

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The 94-foot vessel belongs to Noelani Yacht Charters, a Maui-based company owned by Jim Jones. He told Hawaii News Now that he "was anchored offshore with his family for the past two days." Early Monday morning, Jones said a mooring line broke in what he called "a freak accident."

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Noelani Yacht Charters did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. 

According to the Malama Kai Foundation , a nonprofit dedicated to ocean stewardship, the mooring used by Jones overnight is only meant to be used short-term during daytime hours with a limit of two hours. 

Residents and advocates  were upset at social media images and videos of the stuck yacht. 

"The community demands this company be held fully accountable. This is totally unacceptable. The Save Honolua Coalition has tried for years to have the State control boat usage of the bay. We hope that this tragic incident highlights the importance of the issue. For now, we pray that DOCARE and the salvage company act quickly and effectively so that the damage be minimized,"  Save Honolua Coalition , a grassroots organization to protect the bay, said in a statement. 

According to a press release by the Department of Land and Natural Resources on Tuesday morning, if a private vessel is run aground, it is the responsibility of the owner to remove it "with the least amount of damage possible to reefs and marine environments." The owner needs to send a written salvage plan for approval to the department. In these sorts of plans, a private contractor typically pulls the yacht out to sea via tugboat.

Jones told he Department of Land and Natural Resources that "he was never aware of a land-based approach and had no plans to pursue such an action."

"This vessel grounded just outside the Honolua-Mokuleia  Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD), which has the highest degree of resource protections available under state law," said DLNR Chair Dawn Chang in the release. "We are coordinating our actions very closely with Maui County, the boat’s owner, the USCG, area legislators, and the salvage company. We want to do everything possible to prevent any additional damage to the reefs in the MLCD or elsewhere in the bay."

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected]

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Investors Sue Maui Yacht Owner For More Than $2M After Honolua Bay Grounding

The lawsuit accuses Jim Jones of taking the Nakoa on a personal outing that violated the sales agreement.

The investors behind the 120-ton, 94-foot luxury yacht that ran aground in Honolua Bay are suing Noelani Yacht Charters, the company’s owner and the captain on the day of the wreck for more than $2 million. 

In a lawsuit filed Monday, attorneys for Kevin and Kimberly Albert of New Mexico, who provided the financing for the Nakoa, accused Jim Jones and his wife of taking the yacht on a personal trip to Honolua Bay without permission, which they said violated their sales agreement.

The lawsuit lays out the events that occurred in the days and hours before the Nakoa crashed into the reef at Honolua Bay, where it ended up spilling fuel in the waters leading to one of Maui’s most pristine marine sanctuaries . After two weeks stuck on the rocky shoreline, the yacht was hauled off on March 5 and sank in 800 feet on water while being towed toward Oahu.

Jones also used an “unapproved and unqualified captain” to operate the yacht, who prior to the holiday weekend outing, had only captained Jones’ Oahu-based 75-foot yacht, the Noelani, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit asks the court to award the Alberts damages including at least $1.45 million for the loss of the Nakoa, a minimum of $500,000 for the work to haul it off the reef, at least $500,000 to pay for environmental destruction, a lien on the Noelani, plus attorneys fees and other damages that arise.

“(Noelani) Yacht Charters’ and Jones’s conduct with respect to the grounding was grossly negligent, willful and demonstrated a wanton disregard for the consequences of their actions,” the lawsuit said.

Jones, the owner of Noelani Yacht Charters, did not respond to an email or phone call requesting comment. Monday’s lawsuit is the latest in a string of cases filed against Jones and his businesses in recent years.

Jones pledged to repay all costs that arose from the wreck and told Civil Beat he planned to continue running charters on his Oahu-based yacht to help him repay the debts.

But Noelani Yacht Charters’ website says the company is no longer in business. Jones’ commercial permit that allowed him to run charters on the Noelani expired in February, and because he owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to the state, he can’t renew his permit, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. 

Under the agency’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation rules, anyone who wants to do business in Hawaii waters must have a commercial permit. The Nakoa, which was purchased by Jones in December to run charters around Maui, didn’t have one . 

The lawsuit says Jones had agreed to purchase the Nakoa from the Alberts, which owned the vessel through a trust. The pricetag was $1.45 million and scheduled to be paid off over 15 years. The Alberts’ attorney did not respond to a call seeking comment. 

The Dec. 29 purchase agreement laid out all of the requirements that Jones and Noelani Yacht Charters needed to meet to manage and eventually take full ownership of the yacht. Among the conditions mentioned: that the charter company needed to “use its best efforts to manage and operate the vessel in accordance with best yacht management practices;” that the seller wouldn’t be held liable for things like injuries, fines, damages and legal challenges; and that, in the event the yacht was lost or damaged, the buyer would “bear all risk.” 

Meanwhile, under the terms of the yacht’s insurance policy, the Nakoa was supposed to be crewed by an approved licensed captain, first mate and crew member, according to the lawsuit. 

The lawsuit says the captain who was approved and listed on the yacht’s insurance policy was initially on board on Feb. 17 when Jones, his wife and children arrived in West Maui, along with another captain, first mate and crew member for the weekend trip. Upon Jones’ direction, the approved captain left the yacht; he was scheduled to return Feb. 20 to lead a charter to Lanai. 

Instead, the new captain took charge, according to the lawsuit. At that point, that captain had previously operated at the helm of the Noelani but hadn’t yet captained the Nakoa.

Over the course of the weekend, the lawsuit says Jones and his family were shuttled from Kaanapali to Kapalua to Honolua. On Feb. 18 and 19, the yacht was moored overnight at Honolua Bay — on a day-use mooring that’s typically limited to 2.5 hours and where overnight use is explicitly prohibited. 

On the night leading up to the grounding, the lawsuit says that neither the captain nor Jones designated someone to keep watch on deck to ensure the yacht stayed in place —  a standard maritime safety practice. Instead, Jones and his crew relied on a digital anchor alarm, according to the lawsuit.

Around 5:20 a.m. on Feb. 20, Jones heard the alarm go off, the lawsuit said. Meanwhile, the captain realized the yacht had broken free from the mooring and was drifting. At that point, the engines weren’t on.  

“After getting the engines started and the propulsion and steering engaged, (the captain), Jones and the vessel’s crew undertook a series of maneuvers but ultimately ran aground in Honolua Bay,” the lawsuit says. 

In the following weeks, state officials would learn that the yacht caused “ significant damage ” to the marine habitat, wreaking havoc on the corals and live rock covering more than 19,000 square feet, according to DLNR.

The state agency also hired a contractor for at least $460,000 to remove the yacht. It’s unclear if the yacht’s insurance policy will cover the removal, or if Jones or the Alberts will be footing the bill to pay the state back.

The agency is planning to present a final report on the extent of the damage to the Board of Land and Natural Resources, along with recommended fines and penalties, at some point in the future. 

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation and the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation.

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1 Person Injured When Hawaii Tour Helicopter Crashes on Remote Kauai Beach

One person was injured when a tour helicopter crashed on a remote beach on the Hawaiian island of Kauai

LIHUE, Hawaii (AP) — One person was injured when a tour helicopter crashed on a remote beach on the Hawaii an island of Kauai, the county fire department said Tuesday.

An aircraft operated by Jack Harter Helicopters crashed at Honopu Beach on the Napali Coast, a rugged stretch of Kauai that is only accessible by hiking, kayaking or aerial tour.

The helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers, the Kauai Fire Department said in a news release. One passenger suffered a back injury. The pilot and other three passengers were not hurt.

A photograph released by the fire department showed a crumpled helicopter resting on the sand.

A fire department helicopter airlifted the injured passenger to paramedics waiting at Princeville Airport. The others were picked up by another Jack Harter helicopter.

A phone call seeking comment from Jack Harter Helicopters in Lihue was not immediately returned.

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