ST. GEORGE — A helicopter pilot was forced into a crash landing in Wasatch County after an elk kicked the aircraft’s tail rotor, snapping it off and sending the helicopter crashing to the ground Monday afternoon.
Shortly after 4:30 p.m. deputies from the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene after a 911 call reported a distress signal coming from the helicopter.
The signal was transmitted from the Currant Creek area in Heber Valley and received by a Utah Division of Wildlife Resource officer working in the remote area, Deputy Chief Jared Rigby of the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, said.
Due to the helicopter’s location, Wasatch County Search and Rescue was dispatched as well.
Emergency personnel found the helicopter and both occupants located on a hill about 300 yards from the Currant Creek Dam, along with officers from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources who were assisting the crew, Rigby said.
The helicopter’s pilot sustained a laceration to his head and both men were transported to the hospital by ambulance to be treated for scratches, cuts, bruises and other minor injuries sustained in the crash.
According to preliminary information, the helicopter was flying in the Currant Creek area to trap or “net” individual elk to be outfitted with a GPS transmitter collar as part of a study by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to identify the animals’ migratory patterns.
The pilot, flying low to the ground, was positioning the helicopter as close as possible in order to throw the net around the animal, Tonya Kieffer, conservation outreach manager for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said.
When the helicopter was in position just above the selected elk, the animal began kicking its hind legs and struck the rear tail rotor, severing it. The rotor went crashing to the ground as the pilot attempted to control the helicopter that crash landed seconds later.
Kieffer added that the quick actions of the search and rescue teams along with the multi-agency response contributed to the incident’s favorable outcome.
Rigby concurred, and said that the emergency personnel who responded were relieved to find the helicopter crew with only minor injuries.
Many agencies were in the area working and were able to get to the crash scene quickly, he said, adding, “it’s amazing, and we are so relieved.”
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources was in the area conducting a comprehensive study to identify migration patterns, migratory routes, seasonal changes and other factors, which helps researchers to understand and preserve the animals’ winter habitat. The agency subcontracts private helicopters to provide aerial assistance.
The department uses state-of-the-art GPS transmitter collars that are capable of recording an animal’s location every two hours for more than three years, Kieffer said, and allows the agency to map migration routes in detail.
That information helps researchers understand how the animals use the landscape, which aids in the development of ways to preserve the animals’ habitat, improve herd management and increase conservation efforts in migration corridors.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is working with the subcontractor to assess the damage and associated costs, and is investigating the events preceding the crash. The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office conducted the preliminary investigation into the crash itself, and has notified the National Transportation Safety Board, which will conduct an independent investigation.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, deputies from the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, Search and Rescue teams and Fruitland EMS responded and tended to the scene.
This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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Contractors were from Texas from what I understand, glad they’re OK. Imagine how the female elk felt…….
How is the elk?
Well, well, well. Ya think your all badass and this is what happens when you start messing with nature
that funny, if the guys thought they were hotshots, and then this
it’s embarrassing
Quit annoying the elk. Hiker75, the elk is dead, from what I saw on TV this morning. Funny, some humans are being tracked just like elk, through their Smartphones.
My sympathy to the Elks family