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A Salt Lake firefighter is dead after the airplane he was riding in crashed in Wasatch County this afternoon.
Twenty-five-year-old Dylan Hopkins was one of three people in the plane. Pilot Craig Weaver and Bryon Meyer both were critically injured, but are in stable condition tonight.
The airplane went down around 1 p.m. in the Soapstone Wilderness area near the towns of Kamas, Francis and Woodland.
The men had a cell phone and were able to call for help. While waiting, Weaver and Meyer tried to help Hopkins. When a medical helicopter located them, all three were airlifted area hospitals.
Wasatch County search and rescue crews had to use snowmobiles to reach the crash site. They spent the evening taking pictures and investigating the scene.
"At the site of the crash, there was a foot of snow -- and maybe more in other areas. But there was pretty extensive damage to the plane to the front end as well as the left wing," said Wasatch County sheriff's Deputy Travus Jensen.
Search and rescue crews may return to the crash sight in the morning for an FAA investigation.
Hopkins worked four years for the Salt Lake City Fire Department. All three men worked together at Heavy Rescue 5.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
