Image of downed Utah National Guard Black Hawk helicopter at Mineral Basin, near Snowbird Ski Resort. Photo credit: KSL TV, Chopper 5
DRAPER, Utah — The Utah National Guard announced Tuesday night that recovery efforts for two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters will begin on Wednesday.
The two Black Hawk helicopters were involved in a training accident last week near the Mineral Basin area.
According to a press release, the two UH-60 Black Hawks will be sling-loaded from the area by a Nevada Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook. From there, the two helicopters will be transported to the Heber Valley Airport in Heber City.
Once in Heber City, air and ground crews will load the aircrafts onto lowboy trailers. From there, they will be transported to Utah Army Aviation Support Facility in West Jordan.
“Although military training operations can be dangerous, accidents of this nature rarely happen,” said Col. Shane Manwaring, commander, 97th Aviation Troop Command in a press release. “Our Soldiers have worked tirelessly to prepare the aircraft for extraction from the area. It has been great to see our community partners support these efforts, especially the agencies of Snowbird, the U.S. Forest Service, Wasatch County, Wasatch County Sheriff, Heber City Police, Utah Highway Patrol, and the Heber Valley Airport.”
The National Guard says residents in Heber Valley may hear noise during rescue operations on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.
“I’m extremely grateful that the Utah National Guard aircrews involved in the multi-aircraft incident at Mineral Basin walked away with only minor injuries. High-altitude recovery operations are complex by their very nature, especially with the restricted terrain and unpredictable weather patterns in Mineral Basin,” said Lt. Col. Gordon Pedersen, Utah National Guard Director of Aviation and Safety in a press release. “For the safety of the Soldiers involved in the recovery operation and the general public, we are asking everyone to avoid Mineral Basin and the Heber Valley Airport on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.”
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