Savers Thift Store let up a large red balloon tied to a light pole outside its Waipahu store.

It often does this to advertise a sale.

But on Monday, the ad became a dangerous obstacle for one of HPD's choppers.

The officers on board were helping officers on the ground catch a suspected thief when the chopper flew too close to the balloon, and severed the rope attached to it. Part of the rope got sucked into the tail intake, damaging the tail and part of the fuselage.

The chopper made an emergency landing at the police academy about a mile away. It was later able to fly back to a hangar off Lagoon Drive where it now sits, waiting to be repaired.

"I definately would characterize this as a rare event," said FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor, on the phone from California.

According to FAA regulations, a tethered balloon cannot fly higher than 500 feet and it cannot fly within five miles of any airport.

Savers management said the balloon on Monday was no more than 200 feet up.

But Gregor said, "the helicopter pilot told us that he hit the rope at an altitude of between 300 and 400 feet.

If that were the case, then the balloon was flying a lot higher than, say, the Waipahu Sugar Mill smokestack, which stands at 174 feet.

FAA regulations also stipulate that anyone wanting to fly a tethered balloon more than 150 feet must notify the closest FAA air traffic facility; in this case, the one at the Honolulu International Airport.

"I spoke with our people at the Honolulu facility," Gregor said. "They do not have any report from anyone wanting to fly a balloon in this area."

The FAA is investigating whether any regulations were violated.

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