Three men were seriously injured Wednesday afternoon when a helicopter carrying an 800-pound portable drill rig engine crashed in northern San Juan County.
The engine fell on two ground-crew workers who were going to use the rig to look for oil and natural gas.The pilot, whose name is being withheld pending notification of relatives, suffered back injuries and was taken to Allen Memorial Hospital, Moab. The crew members were taken by the Air Life helicopter to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo., arriving at 4:50 p.m.
Allen Memorial Hospital officials said the pilot was in critical but stable condition after suffering back injuries, lacerations to his torso and internal damage.
A nursing supervisor at St. Mary's Hospital identified the two crew members as David Green, 45, of Moab, and David MacDonald, 31, of Salt Lake City. She said both suffered spinal injuries and lower extremity fractures. They were reported in serious but stable condition.
The helicopter, owned by a seismograph company in Douglas, Wyo., went down about 2 p.m. near the La Sal Junction of U-191, about 22 miles south of Moab.
San Juan County Deputy Monte Dalton told the Deseret News the National Transportation Safety Board ordered the accident site secured until Thursday when they will investigate further.
All three victims were employed by the same seismic company, whose name was not released.
The pilot of another helicopter flying nearby witnessed the crash and called for help.
Approximately 20 San Juan County deputy sheriffs along with La Sal Volunteer Fire Department and Grand County and Monticello rescue workers responded to the accident.
Dalton said the helicopter was small and had a jet fuel engine. He said there was no explosion. He said the cause of the crash is not known, but he said mechanical failure is suspected.
"When he (the pilot) came down, the engine hit first and the helicopter then," he said. "They were looking for oil."
The rig was being transported by the helicopter to the site by cable. Officials didn't rule out the possibility the cable may have broken.
The two crew members apparently were trying to unhook the engine from the helicopter when the accident occurred, Dalton said.