Family of Kaua‘i helicopter pilot killed in Nāpali Coast crash creates fundraiser

The family of the helicopter pilot who died in a July 11 crash off the Nāpali Coast on Kaua‘i has created a fundraiser to cover unforeseen expenses that may arise in the wake of their loved one’s death.

“My dad, Guy Croydon, was a husband, father, and soon-to-be grandfather,” Alex Croydon wrote on the popular fundraising platform GoFundMe. “He is loved by his family and the entire Kaua’i community. He touched so many lives as a mentor, coach, instructor, uncle and father figure. He always made an impact.”

The 69-year-old Croydon was piloting a tour helicopter owned by Ali’i Kauai Air Tours & Charters when he and his passengers, 60-year-old James Quintua and 53-year-old Amy Nichole Ruark Quintua of northern Kentucky, crashed about a quarter-mile offshore facing Hanakoa Valley.

A hiker on the Kalalau Trail witnessed the incident and notified the Kaua‘i Fire Department, setting off a days-long search involving personnel from the US Coast Guard, KFD, the Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency, the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, the Hawai‘i National Guard, the Ocean Safety Bureau and the Kaua‘i Police Department.

When officials suspended their search for the crash victims on July 14, only Amy Quintua’s body had been recovered.

“Although they were not able to recover my dad’s body, our family is able to find peace in his passing through the support of our community,” Alex Croydon wrote.

The cause of the crash remains unknown. An attorney specializing in aviation accidents has claimed the helicopter flown by Guy Croydon at the time of the crash – the four-seat Robinson R44 – has a questionable safety history, including rotor, engine and controllability issues.

Alex Croydon, writing on behalf of her family, thanked the search and rescue teams who “worked tirelessly and risked their lives to bring closure to both our family and the passengers’ families.”

Guy Croydon worked as a diver in the US Coast Guard, a bush pilot in Alaska, an Aloha Airlines captain, Civil Air Patrol mission pilot and aerospace education officer, logging 7,000 hours of helicopter time and 40,000 hours of fixed-wing time over the course of a more than 45-year career.

Guy Croydon – who also served on the Kaua‘i Fire Commission – was also known as an artist, painter, musician, sailor, surfer and gardener.

Other friends and family of Guy Croydon and the Quintuas have shared messages of mourning across social media.

To visit the Guy Croydon Memorial Fund GoFundMe page, click here.