A trek over Skyline Drive yesterday morning held a jaw-dropping surprise in Farmington Canyon.
Skyline Drive is an extremely rough gravel/dirt road (in unusually poor condition this year) that traverses the spine of a portion of the Wasatch Mountains from the foothills behind Bountiful, Utah to Farmington Canyon. On a clear day the views from up top are truly expansive and impressive.
This shot includes some areas that many of my viewers may recognize by name because I often photograph birds there. The impoundments of Farmington Bay WMA can be seen directly behind the foreground cliff, Antelope Island (no longer an island due to the drought) is in the middle background, Stansbury Island in the far background and a portion of Bountiful, Utah is at left. Local birders and photographers will likely be familiar with the FAA radar installation (I call it the “golf ball”) adjacent to Glover Pond and marked by the red arrow.
The primary goal of the trip was birds, especially migrating raptors, but I essentially came up empty. The only birds I photographed were these Turkey Vultures as they sunned themselves and preened in a dead tree – definitely not an image I’m proud of.
So we headed for home via Farmington Canyon. Imagine my total surprise when I came around a switchback in the narrow, rough road and found a helicopter on the road directly in front of me. My jaw literally dropped.
I pulled up to the helicopter (an Enstrom 480) and talked to one of the two gentlemen standing next to it (these photos were taken later from slightly below after I had passed the helicopter). They had been flying over the canyon when they lost all engine power. The guy I talked to had been the pilot but when the emergency occurred his companion took over because he was the “more experienced pilot”.
They autorotated (uses the action of air moving through the rotor rather than engine power) down and managed to set the helicopter on the road at this spot which is essentially a ledge carved out of the side of the canyon with a steep drop-off on one side and a near vertical wall of rocks on the other. When they landed the tips of their main rotor were within about a foot of those rocks and the left hand skid was very near the drop-off. They literally had no wiggle room and they landed there without power.
I spent about 10 minutes talking to the gentleman on the left in this photo (he seemed like a very nice guy). They had already called for a helicopter mechanic to repair their bird so they could get out of there and they had some time to kill until he arrived. This fellow was one cool cucumber – when he saw my big lens sitting next to me he seemed as interested in talking about birds as he did in discussing his adventure. When I asked him how his blood pressure was he said “it’s been lower” but that was the only indication I had from him that his experience had been a harrowing one.
There was enough room (barely) for me to squeak my pickup by the helicopter between it and the rocks by driving under the rotor so I continued on my way. But during the drive home I couldn’t get this incident out of my mind. What a terrifying experience it must have been to know you had lost power and had one chance to set down safely on this extremely narrow road in a devilishly steep canyon.
I was and remain impressed by the skill and training of the pilot and the coolness under pressure of both gentlemen.
Ron
“It’s been lower” … Understatement much, fella? Yikes!
Maybe the pilot trained with Sully Sullenberger. How did they get out? Turkey vultures gather around here in the fall, but thus far I have seen only one! I couldn’t figure out where the others were or why only one was in the area. There is a dead deer which has been in the ditch for several weeks, but the magpies have finished it off, so there could not be any left for the vultures. They will turn up en masse before long. I really enjoy reading of your adventures! Thanks for your interesting posts.
Amazing! Great photos. And I thought the one of the vultures was pretty cool.
PS: Love those views. And the vultures. A much maligned and misunderstood bird.
The pilot must have ice water running through his veins.
Such an impressive feat. The epitome of grace under pressure.
When someone refers to you to as a “bird photographer” from now on, it has a whole new meaning…
Good one Patty lol..
Great pics Ron. I liked the Vultures as well.
Wow Ron, what a day! When we go out, we never know what to expect or what we’ll see. This day, you’ll never forget and you got some good pictures to boot. Kinda makes it all worth while doesn’t it?
It does, Jerry. I’m just glad I didn’t find a wrecked helicopter, two dead men and the beginning of a fire in the canyon when I came around that bend…
It’s harrowing just thinking about what these guys did. It’s definitely impressive that they were able to land the disabled copter. I’m guessing everything turned out okay – they were probably gone by the time you came out of the canyon?
Susan, I was leaving the canyon when I encountered the helicopter. But I assume that everything turned out well, partly because there wasn’t anything on the news about it.
Suggested reading: “Chickenhawk,” by Robert Mason…The life and times of a Vietnam era helicopter pilot. A lot of material on the harrows of flying those things.
Wonderful story, I am amused that others saw the correlation of Turkey Vultures too. I grew up in Centerville and am very familiar with Skyline Drive, I can’t imagine landing a disable helicopter in parts of that road. I had a classmate roll his pickup down one of the steep ravines, his body was not located for two days.
Wow, that’s quite a story about your classmate, April. I can certainly understand why it might take so long to find him/her – that’s rugged country and some of those ravines are steep and huge.
Wow, oh wow! He must have been a pretty darn good pilot to land in that space without hitting the rocks or going over the edge! But then again I don’t have any clue how easy or hard it is to land a helicopter! And maybe you’re not proud of the vulture photo but I think it’s great. How often do you see six vultures sitting in dead trees!!! It’s not all about a great photo for me. It’s about the birds and the experience.
Thanks, Marya, and you’re right of course. There was actually a couple of more vultures perched on trees nearby. I always enjoy seeing them.
Interesting shots!! You bet they were good and cool!!
However, I had to laugh at your image of the Turkey Vultures, taken just before you left and you didn’t foresee the foreboding situation that was to come. Of course I wouldn’t comment on this symbolism if these pilots hadn’t had such a good outcome.
Beautiful landscape shot of where you go, gives good prespective to your shooting area. I can’t get over what the drought has done to you and the west! I’m real hopeful that El Nino will help you all out this fall and winter.
Thanks, Dick. I too have been hoping for some relief from El Nino this coming winter but even if it happens it’s likely to be a mixed blessing.
WOW! The experience those two men faced and the treeful of Turkey Vultures seem to have some kind of dark correlation. My uncles and one aunt were pilots, as is a current friend, and I can barely imagine the cool head and skill it must have taken to put that chopper down so precisely in such an unforgiving spot. I can’t help but wonder if the lucky magician who accomplished that feat had extensive military training and experience…Maybe med vac. They were double lucky…not to have crashed and to have been able to land a disabled craft on the head of a pin….
Well said, Patty. And I hadn’t thought about the symbolism of the Turkey Vultures – you’re absolutely right.
WOW! Those choppers don’t set down easily when in trouble!
I don’t imagine they do, Judy. I think I’d have died of fright during the descent…