HONOLULU — A search launched when a helicopter piloted by a well-known Honolulu personal injury attorney didn’t arrive at his Molokai home as expected led fire crews to wreckage on the east end of the island and no survivors.
Gary Galiher left Honolulu on Tuesday evening and headed to Molokai, where he has a home, said Ilana Waxman, managing partner of Galiher DeRobertis Waxman. The Honolulu law firm specializes in mesothelioma and asbestos cases.
When no one could get ahold of Galiher Wednesday morning, one of his employees called 911, Waxman said. The Coast Guard began searching from the air and from the ocean, along with the Maui Fire Department.
A woman was also aboard the helicopter, the Coast Guard said. “My understanding is that’s it’s a friend of his, but I don’t know,” Waxman said.
Galiher owned his Molokai home for decades and made the interisland flight often, Waxman said. He was planning to spend Wednesday there, she said.
The wreckage was found Wednesday afternoon about a half-mile north of Galiher’s property, Fire Services Chief Edward Taomoto said. Rescue crews who reached the crash site, which is about 1.3 miles above Kamehameha V Highway, reported that there were no survivors, Taomoto said.
The Maui police department will coordinate recovery of the victims and secure the wreckage scene for federal investigators, he said.