This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Paducah, Texas • A helicopter pilot from Utah has died in a West Texas crash after the tail rotor hit some pulley equipment while trying to connect to a power line.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says the helicopter crashed Sunday afternoon in a field in rural Cottle County near Paducah. DPS said 34-year-old Joshua Fitts of Hurricane, Utah, was dead at the scene.
Senior Trooper Chris Ray said the helicopter was hovering and attempting to connect to the line when the tail rotor clipped a sheave. Further details weren't immediately available on the purpose of the flight.
Ray said the weather was clear at the time of the accident.
Paducah is 115 miles northeast of Lubbock.