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Robert Vanderkar Missing Person Case

Last seen in Haleiwa, Hawaii on Nov 19, 1980

Victim Details

Jul 18, 2025

Jul 21, 2025

Robert

Vanderkar

79

34

72 inches

180 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

Nov 19, 1980

Haleiwa

Hawaii

Honolulu County

Haleiwa

No

172094

Honolulu Police Department

Honolulu

Hawaii

Honolulu County

96813

Michael Garcia

Detective

801 South Beretania Street, Hawaii

8085293111

Local

Law Enforcement

http://www.honolulupd.org

80-S04605

1980-11-19

Honolulu Police Department

Brown

Unknown

Unknown

06/23/2026


Area Last Seen:

Case Description

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On a day in the mid-November of 1980, a 34-year-old camera operator named Robert Vanderkar was working on an episode of the popular television series 'Magnum, P.I.' in Hawaii. He was a passenger in a Hughes 369D helicopter, part of the aerial filming unit for the show. The helicopter was flying over the waters off of the northeastern coast of Oahu, near Kaaawa Beach Park, when the aircraft experienced trouble. The helicopter, with Robert and the pilot on board, crashed into the Pacific ...
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Last Seen: Nov 19, 1980

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Forum Posts (2)

I’ve always found the aerial shots in old TV shows fascinating, and it’s really unsettling to le... ...Read More
03/15/2024
I've been diving into old news articles lately and found some interesting tidbits about Robert VANDE... ...Read More
02/16/2023
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