December 3, 2014 - The FAA and NTSB are
investigating yesterdays helicopter crash near
Salt Lake City,
Utah in which the pilot
and passenger were killed after the Robinson R44
Raven II, helicopter, N3234U, broke apart in mid
air and then crashed into a building.
The Robinson R44 had departed from Skypark Airport, UT,
the helicopter was being piloted by Clause Hauer
who was a former helicopter pilot for KUTV. The
onboard passenger has been identified as Bruce
Orr. It is unclear if this was a training
flight.
Witnesses report just before the crash around 2
PM, the Robinson R44 was showing signs of engine
and mechanical problems just before it crashed
into a vacant two story building.
Several witnesses reported they saw the tail
rotor break off the helicopter in-flight. "I
hear this helicopter flying right over me and
then I hear this engine thrust really loud and
then something exploded and a piece of the
rudder came out of the helicopter. It flipped
sideways and another explosion happened and shot
the helicopter forward. There were parts
everywhere coming down."
One witness said "It made a sound like it was
breaking apart, like backfiring, then the tail
shaft broke right off. It just went straight
down. It looked like the guy was trying to get
out, but I didn't think he had a chance." When
the emergency responders got to the crash site
they were able to pull one of the victims out of
the building and offer CPR, however he did not
survive.
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