MARINE CORPS AIR STATION KANEOHE BAY --
Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37 sailors lent their eyes and aircraft to the search for Daylenn Pua, a hiker who went missing Feb. 27, 2015 after possibly climbing off-limits Haiku Stairs.
The squadron was slated for maritime search and rescue training when they received a rare request for help from the Federal Aviation Administration, March 4.
“We are trained for maritime search and rescue techniques and that can translate to doing overland searches,” said Cmdr. Brannon Bickel, the commanding officer of HSM-37, who piloted one of the searches.
After gaining approval from their higher command, the unit modified their training to aid in looking for the lost hiker. The unit worked with an FAA representative to study the area and planned their search while keeping in mind information gained from previous searches by the Honolulu Fire Department.
“We did dedicate six hours of flight time for the search,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brian Bernardin, who also piloted during the search and is a maintenance officer at HSM-37. “It was convenient for us because we were already scheduled to do six hours of search and rescue training that day.”
Bernardin flew the first three hours of the search, then piloted the unit’s MH-60R Seahawk helicopter back to Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay when they did not find Pua.
“We had flown for quite awhile,” Bernardin said. “It was frustrating to come back empty-handed without finding the hiker.”
The crew took a brief rest and refueled. Then Bickel and unit members went back for another three-hour search until sunset. The 18-year-old hiker, last seen in Waianae, remains missing.
“There are not very many options to land a helicopter in the Haiku Stairs area,” Bickel said. “If we had found someone, we would have needed direct deployment of a crew member using a hoist to affect rescue. There are severe winds, the hazards of the terrain itself and spaces filled with power lines that make rescue difficult.”
This is the first land search and rescue the unit conducted on Oahu using the MH-60R or “Romeo” model of the helicopter. This updated model of the Seahawk helicopter allows for easier searching using infrared signatures.
The unit more frequently conducts maritime search and rescues. Sailors from HSM-37 support ships based out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and can also provide support to San Diego assets. The unit is an expeditionary squadron with a primary mission of anti-submarine warfare and routinely deploys detachments of 30 sailors and two MH-60R helicopters.
Since the unit concluded their search, volunteers have been using private helicopters and other rescue methods to continue looking for the hiker. A group of volunteers gathered Saturday in Kaneohe to conduct both an aerial and on-ground search.
Haiku Stairs has been closed to the public since 1987, and it is currently illegal for any hikers to enter the area. The stairs were built to access a radio station array used first by the Navy in the 1940s and later by the U.S. Coast Guard, according to the Friends of Haiku Stairs website.
Last month five people attempting to access the stairs were stranded overnight until Honolulu emergency responders could rescue them the following day. The Board of Water Supply, the government agency currently in charge of the stairs, is assessing its stability since mudslides obstructed the pathway in February 2015.
“It was challenging flying in those conditions, but it was a great training opportunity paired with a real-world opportunity to help,” Bernardin said. “We’ve gotten great positive feedback from the local community about our support.”