GreenKnight121
6th Dec 2014, 05:46
Witness reports are of mid-flight tail separation:
2 dead after helicopter crashes into building in North Salt Lake | The Salt Lake Tribune (http://www.sltrib.com/news/1899140-155/helicopter-crash-reported-in-north-salt)
The tail rotor from the helicopter was about 250 to 300 feet from the building, and debris from the crash was spread along 900 North.
"We know that we have debris at least a half-mile northeast of the crash site," Black said.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The tail rotor from a crashed helicopter sits roped off in a parking lot as a medical helicopter takes off at the scene of a helicopter crash near 500 West 900 North in North Salt Lake, Tuesday December 2, 2014.
http://www.sltrib.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=NP9A8ExfmxVOe6G jWpPKD8$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYssL4fktQAj9tbon8q7H1c3WCsjLu883Yg n4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoM evcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg
2 men killed in North Salt Lake helicopter crash had 'huge passion' for flying | Deseret News (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865616951/2-men-killed-in-North-Salt-Lake-helicopter-crash-had-huge-passion-for-flying.html)
By Morgan Jacobsen (http://www.deseretnews.com/author/23100/Morgan-Jacobsen.html), Deseret News Published: Wednesday, Dec. 3 2014 6:45 p.m. MST
Updated: Thursday, Dec. 4 2014
NORTH SALT LAKE — Many questions remain unanswered after a helicopter crashed into a building in North Salt Lake on Tuesday (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865616837/2-killed-when-helicopter-crashes-into-North-Salt-Lake-building.html), killing two men.
But this much is clear: Claus Hauer and Bruce Orr died doing what they loved.
"They had a huge passion for aviation, a huge following of people here at the airport and other airports. A lot of people knew who they were," said Chris Volzer, who oversees incoming and departing aircraft at Skypark Airport in Woods Cross. "Probably some of the nicest people, good-hearted people."
But their love for flying and experience with aircraft makes it harder for those who know them to understand what went wrong.
"We're in a dazed state. Surreal. We're waiting for information," Orr's son Brian Orr said Wednesday. "Today is a day of walking around not knowing what to do."
The two men took off from Skypark Airport in a Robinson R-44 helicopter and crashed onto the roof of a building at 501 W. 900 North just before 2 p.m, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer.
Ben Tidswell, the pilot for KSL Chopper 5 and "close personal friend" of Hauer and Orr, was sitting in his helicopter at the airport when he saw the helicopter fly by, followed by sounds of mechanical failure.
"I watched the helicopter pass by in front of me then go out of sight behind some buildings, and I could still hear the helicopter flying," Tidswell said. "Then I heard 'wink, wink, wink,' and then nothing at all. The engine noise went away; the rotor blade noise went away. There was no noise at all. … Generally, if the sound goes away, that's a problem."
Seconds later, Tidswell's mechanic opened the helicopter door and told him he had seen the helicopter break apart midflight.
"So we jumped in cars and went over there and looked at all the wreckage sitting everywhere," Tidswell said.
Other witnesses also reported seeing the aircraft fall apart in the sky.
Volzer said the two men were well-known among local aviators, who mourn their deaths.
"It's a very tight community," he said. "If anything happens, good or bad, it spreads fast because it's a very, very close community."
The bodies of Hauer and Orr were pulled from the wreckage Tuesday night, according to North Salt Lake police. No one on the ground was injured, but the building sustained significant damage.
On Wednesday, the flight's purpose, the original condition of the aircraft and the cause of the crash were all unclear.
"I don't think it's worth speculating," Tidswell said. "I would say this: It is incredibly rare for any kind of aircraft, whether it be helicopter or fixed-wing, to break up in flight like that. There's going to be a lot of questions that need to be answered."
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration and the helicopter's manufacturer. Investigators were taking GPS plots of the wreckage and gathering witness statements Wednesday, according to National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Andrew Swick.
Swick said a preliminary report will be completed within a week with basic information and witness statements. But a final report with the official determination of what caused the crash could take as long as 18 months to complete, he said.
Investigators are considering elements such as weather, human factors, safety of flight, maintenance backgrounds and the pilot's experience, Swick said.
"Right now, we're just gathering those facts," he said. "Witness statements are coming in. Once we look at those, we'll assess what we have."
Investigators look down on the remains of a helicopter that crashed onto an empty building Tuesday afternoon, killing two men on board, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014, in North Salt Lake. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)
http://img.deseretnews.com/images/article/midres/1449736/1449736.jpg
2 dead after helicopter crashes into building in North Salt Lake | The Salt Lake Tribune (http://www.sltrib.com/news/1899140-155/helicopter-crash-reported-in-north-salt)
The tail rotor from the helicopter was about 250 to 300 feet from the building, and debris from the crash was spread along 900 North.
"We know that we have debris at least a half-mile northeast of the crash site," Black said.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The tail rotor from a crashed helicopter sits roped off in a parking lot as a medical helicopter takes off at the scene of a helicopter crash near 500 West 900 North in North Salt Lake, Tuesday December 2, 2014.
http://www.sltrib.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=NP9A8ExfmxVOe6G jWpPKD8$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYssL4fktQAj9tbon8q7H1c3WCsjLu883Yg n4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoM evcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg
2 men killed in North Salt Lake helicopter crash had 'huge passion' for flying | Deseret News (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865616951/2-men-killed-in-North-Salt-Lake-helicopter-crash-had-huge-passion-for-flying.html)
By Morgan Jacobsen (http://www.deseretnews.com/author/23100/Morgan-Jacobsen.html), Deseret News Published: Wednesday, Dec. 3 2014 6:45 p.m. MST
Updated: Thursday, Dec. 4 2014
NORTH SALT LAKE — Many questions remain unanswered after a helicopter crashed into a building in North Salt Lake on Tuesday (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865616837/2-killed-when-helicopter-crashes-into-North-Salt-Lake-building.html), killing two men.
But this much is clear: Claus Hauer and Bruce Orr died doing what they loved.
"They had a huge passion for aviation, a huge following of people here at the airport and other airports. A lot of people knew who they were," said Chris Volzer, who oversees incoming and departing aircraft at Skypark Airport in Woods Cross. "Probably some of the nicest people, good-hearted people."
But their love for flying and experience with aircraft makes it harder for those who know them to understand what went wrong.
"We're in a dazed state. Surreal. We're waiting for information," Orr's son Brian Orr said Wednesday. "Today is a day of walking around not knowing what to do."
The two men took off from Skypark Airport in a Robinson R-44 helicopter and crashed onto the roof of a building at 501 W. 900 North just before 2 p.m, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer.
Ben Tidswell, the pilot for KSL Chopper 5 and "close personal friend" of Hauer and Orr, was sitting in his helicopter at the airport when he saw the helicopter fly by, followed by sounds of mechanical failure.
"I watched the helicopter pass by in front of me then go out of sight behind some buildings, and I could still hear the helicopter flying," Tidswell said. "Then I heard 'wink, wink, wink,' and then nothing at all. The engine noise went away; the rotor blade noise went away. There was no noise at all. … Generally, if the sound goes away, that's a problem."
Seconds later, Tidswell's mechanic opened the helicopter door and told him he had seen the helicopter break apart midflight.
"So we jumped in cars and went over there and looked at all the wreckage sitting everywhere," Tidswell said.
Other witnesses also reported seeing the aircraft fall apart in the sky.
Volzer said the two men were well-known among local aviators, who mourn their deaths.
"It's a very tight community," he said. "If anything happens, good or bad, it spreads fast because it's a very, very close community."
The bodies of Hauer and Orr were pulled from the wreckage Tuesday night, according to North Salt Lake police. No one on the ground was injured, but the building sustained significant damage.
On Wednesday, the flight's purpose, the original condition of the aircraft and the cause of the crash were all unclear.
"I don't think it's worth speculating," Tidswell said. "I would say this: It is incredibly rare for any kind of aircraft, whether it be helicopter or fixed-wing, to break up in flight like that. There's going to be a lot of questions that need to be answered."
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration and the helicopter's manufacturer. Investigators were taking GPS plots of the wreckage and gathering witness statements Wednesday, according to National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Andrew Swick.
Swick said a preliminary report will be completed within a week with basic information and witness statements. But a final report with the official determination of what caused the crash could take as long as 18 months to complete, he said.
Investigators are considering elements such as weather, human factors, safety of flight, maintenance backgrounds and the pilot's experience, Swick said.
"Right now, we're just gathering those facts," he said. "Witness statements are coming in. Once we look at those, we'll assess what we have."
Investigators look down on the remains of a helicopter that crashed onto an empty building Tuesday afternoon, killing two men on board, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014, in North Salt Lake. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)
http://img.deseretnews.com/images/article/midres/1449736/1449736.jpg