LIHUE, Hawaii — The pilot in the December crash of Hawaii sightseeing helicopter that killed him and six passengers previously lost his professional license for a year because of drug use, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration revoked the medical, commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates of Safari Helicopters pilot Paul Matero in June 2010, The Garden Island reported Wednesday.
Matero and the passengers died when the helicopter crashed Dec. 26 on a remote mountain ridge of Kauai island.
A hiker who was about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) away from the crash site told investigators that visibility was only about 20 feet (6 metres) at the time because of fog and rain, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The commercial helicopter was owned by Safari Aviation Inc., doing business as Safari Helicopters.
Matero was issued new certifications in 2011 after a one-year waiting period, FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor said Tuesday.
The pilot was rehired and returned to flight duty after completing a substance abuse treatment program and receiving his renewed license, Matt Barkett, a Safari spokesperson, told The Garden Island newspaper.
The FAA issued commercial and private pilots licenses to Matero, along with “special-issuance” medical certificates.
The certificates are valid for short periods of time and allow the FAA to require pilots to show they are continuing to address their conditions, Gregor said.
Matero had flown about 5,000 hours since that time in compliance with federal regulations, Barkett told The Garden Island.
Barkett did not respond to questions from The Garden Island about the decision to reinstate a pilot a year after failing a drug test.
Calls and emails from The Associated Press Thursday seeking comment from the company were not immediately answered.
Safari owner Preston Myers declined to comment to The Garden Island.