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SALT LAKE CITY -- A helicopter crash in the general aviation area of the Salt Lake International Airport Friday afternoon killed one person and injured three others.
The Robinson R44 went down around 3:30 p.m., just south of the Jet Center.
Airport officials say 46-year-old Tom Kalis was killed in the accident. The pilot, Jared Kump, was injured, as was the copilot, Darrin Kalis. Tom and Darrin are brothers.
A fourth man, Randall Ranson, was also hurt. Officials say he is a mechanic who was simply working in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Salt Lake airports spokeswoman Barbara Gann said Tom Kalis, Darrin Kalis and Kump were attempting to load the helicopter on the back of a trailer.
As the helicopter was hovering over the trailer, something went wrong and it crashed to the ground, bursting into flames.
At the time of the accident, officials say the men were loading the helicopter onto the trailer so it could be transported to the Draper Days festivities, where it was going to give rides.
News of the accident, and of the death Tom Kalis, is traveling fast. A lot of people in the helicopter community know him and say he was a good friend.
The NTSB is now investigating the cause of the crash.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
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