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Posted: Saturday, October 1st, 2005 6:48 AM HST

Tour company owner defends helicopter pilot

By Associated Press

LIHUE, Hawaii (AP) _ An official with a Kauai tour company says the pilot of the company's helicopter that crashed a week ago had undergone rigorous training. Heli U-S-A Airways Vice President John Power says pilot Glen Lampton did nothing out of the ordinary last Friday when the tour helicopter he was flying crashed near Haena Point. Three people died in the crash, but Lampton and two passengers survived. Power says he was concerned by reports that said Lampton was inexperienced and made a judgment in error when he flew into a thunderstorm. Other helicopter operators said that several other chopper pilots flew into the same storm, with some flying through and some turning back. Power says his company's pilots go through rigorous training, and said the situation was more complicated than early reports have suggested. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. (Copyright 2005 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)