Aircraft Was Assisting In An Attempt To Capture The Animal In Utah

An elk brought down a helicopter that was attempting to capture it last week in Wasatch County, UT when it jumped into the aircraft's tail rotor, according to the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office.

CBS news reports that the aircraft, which according to FAA records is a Hughes 369D owned by Heliwild Investments LLC, was flying at an altitude of about 10 feet in a mountainous region of eastern Utah, attempting to drop a net on the animal. The Texas-based helicopter crew intended to capture and sedate the animal in order to place a tracking collar on it for research purposes.

There were two people on board the aircraft. Neither was seriously injured when the aircraft went down.

According to the report, the crew missed the animal with the net. The hovered low to the ground so that one of the crewmembers could jump out of the aircraft and hobble the elk. As the aircraft slowed down, the elk collided with the tail rotor. The accident caused damage to the rotor, the right skid and underside of the aircraft.

Mark Hadley of the Utah state Division of Wildlife said that helicopters are often used to monitor wildlife in remote areas of Utah. The state captures some 1,300 animals each year for monitoring purposes, most of which are captured using helicopters.

The accident is said to be the first of its kind associated with the program. State officials say they will review the accident, but it appears to be a fluke.

Use of helicopters for wildlife monitoring has been protested by environmental groups in the area.

(Image provided by the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office)

FMI: Original story