In what amounted to a freak accident, an elk downed a helicopter near Currant Creek Reservoir in Wasatch County
on Monday around 4:38pm
. The crash occurred just over the Duchesne County line and Fruitland EMS was the first to respond. “We had 3 EMTs respond,” explains UBMC EMS Director Von Johnson. “They checked out the pilot and copilot and they were fine. The crash was only about 10 to 12 miles from Fruitland.” So how exactly did an elk manage to take out a helicopter? Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Outreach Manager Tonya Kieffer explains that those pilots are contracted with DWR to conduct multiple big game captures and on Monday it happened to be for elk on the Wasatch Unit. “We were collaring elk to study migration patterns, habitat use, and test body/health conditions,” shares Kieffer. “[This] allows us to map migration routes and corridors in detail and helps us understand how these species use the landscape better than we ever have before.” The helicopters are used to get as close as possible while catching the elk. “When the copilot launched his net,” continues Kieffer, “something went wrong, resulting in the elk hitting the tail rotor and causing the aircraft to make an emergency landing. This has never happened before.” Kieffer confirms that the elk did not survive the crash and DWR is investigating whether they need to change things in the future. They also offered their thanks to Wasatch County Search and Rescue, Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, and Fruitland EMS for their quick response.
