SALT LAKE CITY — One person died and three were injured Friday when an attempt to fly a helicopter onto a trailer for transport at the Salt Lake International Airport ended in a fiery crash.
The accident occurred about 3:30 p.m. in the general aviation area of the airport near 2284 West and 180 North.
Tom Kalis, 46, died in the fiery crash. His brother, Darren Kalis, 43; and Randall Ranson, 38, and the aircraft's pilot, Jared Kump, 30, were injured.
Where the men were from was not immediately known.
The men were attempting to land the Robinson R44 helicopter on a flatbed trailer attached to a Chevy truck.
Tom Kalis and Ranson were on the ground when the helicopter crashed, consuming the aircraft in fire and charring one side of the pickup truck.
Airport spokeswoman Barbara Gann said the three injured men were taken by ambulance to area hospitals, one to University Hospital and two to Intermountain Medical Center. Their conditions were not immediately known.
Officials say Tom Kalis' wife told investigators the men were loading up the helicopter to take it to Draper for Draper Days, where they were planning on giving helicopter rides.
Gann said landing a helicopter on a trailer for transport is a standard method for loading aircraft. At some point during the attempt to land the helicopter on the trailer, the craft caught fire and crashed.
Gann said it is not clear how the accident happened and the cause will be determined by federal investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board has a team on site.According to records based on its tail number, the helicopter was recently acquired by Veracity Leasing, a company based out of Montana, from Sky Helicopters Inc, Gann said.
e-mail: jsmith@desnews.com