The widow of a Honolulu Fire Department helicopter pilot killed during a search-and-rescue operation 13 years ago this month wants a full accounting of the money raised in the name of her husband and two Ho-nolulu Police Department officers who also died in the crash in the Ko'olau Mountains above Sacred Falls.

Lori Crown and her then-8-year-old son received a portion of $10,779.33 that Hawaii credit unions raised during a 1995 "E Kokua I Na Keiki" drive on behalf of her husband, HFD pilot Peter Crown, and HPD officers Tate Kahakai and Bryant Bayne.

But she continues to wonder what happened to the proceeds of several other fundraisers in the names of the three husbands and fathers, such as the "Our Heroes" benefit concert at the Waikiki Shell that included performers such as The Makaha Sons and Hapa.

"Why now? It's been bothering me for a long time," Lori Crown said from California, where she now lives. "I want to thank the people of Hawai'i for their incredible generosity they showed my son. But it's like I feel I should apologize to them. I have no idea how much money was raised in Peter's name. I'm sure it was a lot, because people really opened their hearts."

Police Chief Boisse Correa said yesterday that various fundraisers that followed the helicopter crash — including the Waikiki Shell concert and a bench-press, weight lifting effort — were organized by volunteer officers and firefighters "on their own accord and not sanctioned by the police department."

The department is prohibited by the city Charter from soliciting money, Correa said.

"The Honolulu Police Department did not sanction any fundraisers," he said. "Our hearts go out to the families. We all remember this tragedy like it was yesterday. If she (Lori Crown) does need help, we'd like to know. Because we would like to be able to help her."

Honolulu Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said, "We were unaware of her situation and also feel sorry for the suffering she's gone through. ... Friends organizing to help out is not uncommon, but we don't track what happens to the organization. We hope that it gets resolved."

On July 21, 1995, Specialized Services Division officers Kahakai and Bayne dangled in a basket 50 feet below Crown's Hughes 500D helicopter as it flew into rough winds and heavy cloud cover searching for Wade Johnson, a 23-year-old Brigham Young University-Hawai'i student who became lost while hiking. Johnson has never been found.

The "E Kokua I Na Keiki" drive after the crash resulted in "an outpouring of aloha and support" for the families of Crown, 39, Kahakai, 34, and Bayne, 31, Laurie Okawa Moore, communications director for the Hawaii Credit Union League, told The Advertiser in 1995.

Most contributions came from Hawai'i, but Moore said donations also arrived from Portland, Ore., and San Francisco.

But Crown asked Honolulu police officers about the other proceeds three years ago when her son, Nikolaus, was getting ready to attend California State University-Bakersfield, where he is now a 21-year-old senior majoring in math.

"There were a lot of other fundraisers that went on," Crown said. "We got phone calls from HPD requesting photos for programs and for marathons. The money was supposedly put into a fund for college, but I just kept waiting and waiting. We never got any of it.

"It's not about the money," she said. "It's about the principle. It's about the ethics."

Crown said she was told by Honolulu police officers that they were unable to track her down to get Nikolaus' Social Security number and other information for a trust fund for him.

"They told me they did not know how to get in touch with me," Crown said. "So they gave the money to a police officer who was off work, who was going to lose his house. He lost his home anyway. And I was told the money was gone."