This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Davis County investigators were still looking Wednesday for pieces of the helicopter that crashed in North Salt Lake on Tuesday, killing the two men inside.
The Robinson R-44 had just taken off from the Sky Park Airport in Bountiful when it crashed into a the roof of a vacant business building at 501 W. 900 North, according to authorities.
Clause Hauer and Bruce Orr were inside the helicopter when it crashed.
The tail rotor was found about 250 to 300 feet from the building, and debris from the crash was spread along 900 North.
Davis County investigators are helping the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration look for "very specific mechanical pieces" of the helicopter that would help them figure out what went wrong, said North Salt Lake Police Chief Craig Black. His department turned over the crash investigation to the NTSB and FAA as of Wednesday morning.
Both Hauer and Orr's bodies have been taken to the state medical examiner. The men, who were in their 50s and 60s, both lived along the Wasatch Front, Black said.
Rick Swisher, owner of Quicksilver Air Inc., told the Associated Press that the two men worked for an aircraft repair business and were taking a client's helicopter for a test flight when it crashed Tuesday. Swisher employed Hauer as director of maintenance for his company, which specializes in helicopter support for wildlife capture.
Swisher said both Hauer and Orr shared a strong religious faith and a zest for life.
"I've never met two more honest men in my life," he said.
The website of Precision Air Power, an aircraft repair and maintenance business, lists Hauer and Orr as co-owners. The business is at the Bountiful Skypark Airport, across the street from the two-story building where the helicopter crashed.
Hauer also previously worked as a pilot for KUTV Channel 2 News, according to photographer Mike Sadowski.
"He was an army-trained pilot, straightforward," Sadowski said. "He was so well-versed. He knew the aircraft inside and out."
Ardian Fazliu works near the crash site and said he saw the helicopter break up in the air. Fazliu was about 200 yards away and saw the front of the helicopter hit the building's roof.
James Keeler, a North Salt Lake resident, said the helicopter passed over his home about a mile from the crash site. He said he saw the helicopter "going very slow, flying really low, making some grinding noises. It didn't sound right."
— The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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