1992 — Oct 29, USAF Pave Hawk helicopter crash near Antelope Island, Salt Lake, UT– 12

–12 Aviation Safety Network. USAF Pave Hawk crash, Great Salt Lake, UT, 29-Oct-1992.
–12 Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Great Salt Lake copter crash kills 12 people.” 10-31-1992, p6.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1992:
“Date: 29-Oct-1992
“Time: 21:15
“Type: Sikorsky MN-60G Pave Hawk
“Owner/Operator: 1st SO Wg USAF….
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 12 / Occupants: 13
….
“Location: Great Salt Lake, Utah 100 yards north of Antelope Island
“Phase: En Route
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: USAF Hill AFB [Davis County, UT (Google)]
“Destination airport: [None noted.]
“Narrative: Crashed during a training exercise. Twelve persons died in the crash, one
survived.”

Newspaper

Oct 30, AP: “Hill Air Force Base, Utah (AP) – Up to 13 people were believed killed when an Air Force helicopter crashed into the Great Salt Like during a training mission, a law enforcement source said today. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said searchers had recovered some bodies from Thursday night’s crash, about 100 yards north of Antelope Island in northern Utah’s inland sea.

“There was one survivor of the crash of the Air Force MN-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, Air Force officials said.

“The exact body count was difficult to determine, the source said, because there were two different military agencies involved and not all of the bodies had been recovered. However, the number of dead was believed to be 13, the source said….

“The source said the helicopter went down in the water and some bodies were pushed by the tide and winds in a northwesterly direction into deeper waters. Clusters of bodies were spotted from the air and recovered by crews in boats, the source said.

“Gusty winds, accompanied by lightning and rain, periodically hammered the search area, about 13 miles west of the Air Force base.

“The helicopter, from Florida, normally carries a crew of three and may also carry another 12 passengers, but Air Force spokesmen said they could not say how many were aboard.

“The law enforcement source said he believed the crew was a mixture of Army and Air Force personnel on a special operation training mission.

“Air Force officials declined to give details of the crash or the number of persons aboard.

“The search was suspended at 4 a.m. due to darkness and storm weather, but with daylight a few hours later search crews returned to the briny inland sea to resume their efforts….Base officials confirmed earlier that after seven hours of searching, one person had been rescued and taken to the University of Utah Health Sciences Center in Salt Lake City. The man was in serious condition with cuts on the right leg and over the left eye [unclear]….” (Associated Press. “Thirteen feared dead in crash.” The Herald Journal, Logan UT. 10-30-1992, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Thirteen feared dead in crash.” The Herald Journal, Logan UT. 10-30-1992, p. 1. Accessed 7-27-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logan-herald-journal-oct-30-1992-p-1/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1992. USAF Pave Hawk crash, Great Salt Lake, UT, 29-Oct-1992. Accessed 7-27-2023 at:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/177306

Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Great Salt Lake copter crash kills 12 people.” 10-31-1992, p. 6. Accessed 7-27-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-oct-31-1992-p-6/