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NORTH SALT LAKE — A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board includes new information about a double-fatal helicopter crash.
The report confirms maintenance work was done on the helicopter the day it crashed Dec. 2.
The report states that the flight was a post-maintenance flight and that the owner of the helicopter requested a mechanic's test to check the "track and balance of the rotor blades."
The experienced pilot and the passenger, Claus Hauer and Bruce Orr, died after the helicopter crashed into a vacant building at 501 W. 900 North. The crash sent debris soaring nearly 900 feet.
Witnesses told the NTSB they heard loud popping sounds just before the crash and saw the main rotor separate from the helicopter.
The report does not state if the mechanic's test was the cause of the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s investigation into the cause of the crash continues, and the FAA says it could take more than a year to release that final report.
