Couple vacationing in Hawaii killed in helicopter crash

CINCINNATI (WXIX/Gray News) – A Kentucky couple was killed in a helicopter crash while they were vacationing in Hawaii.

The body of Amy Ruark Quintua, 53, was recovered on Thursday by Kauai Ocean Safety Bureau lifeguards after a helicopter crashed near Na Pali Coast in Kauai, Hawaii. Her husband, James Quintua, 60, was also on board.

A family member confirmed that the couple is from Union, Kentucky, part of the Cincinnati area.

The couple was accompanied by 69-year-old Guy Croyden, the pilot of the helicopter.

The bodies of both James Quintua and Croyden were never recovered after rescue crews spent 60 hours searching for them, covering 830 square miles, according to KHNL. The search was suspended on Sunday.

Amy Gail Ruark, Amy Ruark Quintua’s sister-in-law, shared a statement about her family’s tragic loss:

“She was one of the most kindhearted individuals you would ever meet. My favorite thing about her was how freely she would tell those she loved that she loved them. And you knew that she meant it.

She and Jim had found each other and were soulmates. They were one of those couples that you would look at and be in awe of their love for each other. We loved Jim and his family as if he had always been part of the family.

My other brother-in-law says Jim made everyone else look bad by the kind gestures he would do for others. People like them are irreplaceable. The world was a better place with them in it.

Anyone who could pray for our family during this time is greatly appreciated. They were special people that have been taken from us too soon.”

The couple went to Hawaii every year, as James Quintua had family there.

Ruark said her family is heading to Kauai on Wednesday.

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