HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-03-09 Letter to Lorraine R. Inouye and Breene Harimoto SCR 11, SR 12 Requesting the US Congress to Authorize the NTSB to Adopt & Enforce Regulations for Increased Safety y urRoy Takemoto
M.. ��� Managing Director
Harry Kim
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Barbara J. Kossow
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4TE•o !-' Deputy Managing Director
County of Hawai`i
Office of the Mayor
25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603 • Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 • (808)961-8211 • Fax(808)961-6553
KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy., Bldg C • Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740
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March 10, 2020
Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Chair
Senator Breene Harimoto, Vice Chair
Committee on Transportation
Dear Chair Inouye, Vice Chair Harimoto, and Committee Members:
RE: SCR 11/SR 12 Requesting the United States Congress to Authorize the
National Transportation Safety Board to Adopt and Enforce Regulations for
Increased Safety Standards for Helicopters and Small Aircraft that Charge Fees
for Carrying Passengers on Recreational Flights
SCR 11 and SR 12 call on Congress to authorize the National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) to "adopt and enforce regulations for increased safety standards
for helicopters and small aircraft that charge fees for carrying passengers on
recreational flights." I fully support such an initiative, and ask for your favorable vote.
A few months ago, the crash of a tour helicopter on a residential street in Kailua,
Oahu, took the lives of people on board the aircraft. That was tragic enough, but the
situation could easily have been far worse for people on the ground. Add a recognition
of the number of flights that routinely travel over populated areas on all the islands, and
it is easy to imagine substituting Kailua-Kona for Kailua, Oahu, or any other residential
community in our State.
Action should be taken before there is more unnecessary grief and sorrow that
could be avoided through better regulation. Since the State and counties are barred
from providing the oversight required, and the Federal Aviation Administration has failed
to accept NTSB recommendations, the path forward suggested in SR 12 and SCR 11
makes great sense.
Respectfully Submitted,
Harry
MAYOR
County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.