HURRICANE, Utah — A pilot was critically injured after a helicopter crashed in southern Utah on Monday afternoon.
According to the Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue Department, the helicopter crashed just after 1 p.m. in the Silver Reef neighborhood of Leeds.
Following the crash, the pilot, a man who the Washington County Sheriff's Office said was approximately 85 years old, was pinned by the helicopter before being freed and transported to St. George Regional Medical Center in critical but stable condition.
A woman who was also on board the helicopter sustained some injuries but refused medical treatment at the scene and said they would go to the hospital on their own.
The crash site was about 50 feet from a home that has a helicopter landing area on the property.
"Looks like the helicopter was .... either landing or taking off, and ended up catching a tailwind or something that ended up making it flip and hit the ground," explained Sgt. Jacob Paul with the sheriff's office.
Neighbors who live near the crash site said they were unaware of the accident and heard no explosion, and were only alerted to what happened by the sirens of first responders arriving at the scene.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified of the incident, and the National Transportation Safety Board is responding to investigate.
