Coast Guard helicopter crashes in Utah mountains

SALT LAKE CITY – A Coast Guard helicopter crashed Wednesday morning in remote Utah mountains after providing security at the Winter Olympics, and three people were airlifted to local hospitals, officials said.
One person was in critical condition and two others were in serious condition, said Sgt. Jeremy Hales of the Wasatch County sheriff's office. Two others sustained minor injuries and were being brought out with the help of snowmobiles, he said.
The MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter was one of two traveling through the area en route to home base in Elizabeth City, N.C., after performing security duty at the Vancouver Games, said Dan Dewell, a spokesman for the Coast Guard's 11th District in Alameda, Calif.
The helicopters made a refueling stop in Salt Lake City — one of several required for the long trip — and were headed to Leadville, Colo., when the crash occurred about 50 miles east of Salt Lake City. The co-pilot used a cell phone to call the other helicopter, Dewell said.
Detective Ron Bridge of the Summit County sheriff's department also said at least one crew member from the downed helicopter was communicating via text message, but communications were difficult because of the terrain.
The helicopter went down in a remote, wooded area accessible only by snowmobile, Hales said.
The Coast Guard said the helicopter's pilot and flight mechanic had internal injuries, and the co-pilot suffered a broken leg.
The second helicopter spotted the wreckage but had to refuel before it returned to pick up two of the injured, according to Lt. Col. Susan Romano, of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Panama City, Fla.
They were taken to University Hospital at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
One of the victims, a woman, was undergoing surgery and remained in critical condition Wednesday afternoon, a hospital spokesman said. The other, a male, remained in serious condition.
Another male victim was supposed to be flown to a hospital in Murray but was diverted to Park City Medical Center because of inclement weather.
Dewell said Coast Guard officials didn't have any information about why the helicopter went down.