Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Pilot dead, passenger critical after helicopter crash near Red Rock Canyon

Updated Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019 | 9:50 a.m.

A helicopter crashed near the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area visitor center on Wednesday afternoon, leaving the pilot dead and his only passenger with life-threatening injuries, the Nevada Highway Patrol reported.

The crash occurred because of “unknown circumstances,” said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer.

The Clark County Coroner's Office identified the pilot as 53-year-old Scott Socquet of Milford, Connecticut.

The Robinson R44 model aircraft went down shortly before 4 p.m. about 20 feet off state Route 159 — also known as Red Rock Canyon Road — leaving a field of debris stretched across the road, officials said.

Trooper Jason Buratczuk said the crash occurred in a high-traffic area and that several people witnessed the crash, some of whom acted as good Samaritans before first responders showed up.

The occupants were taken by ambulance in critical condition to University Medical Center, where the pilot died.

No other injuries were reported.

As of Wednesday night, it wasn’t clear who the aircraft belonged to, where it was flying from or where it intended to go, Buratczuk said.

Shortly after the crash, authorities were worried that the fuel on the helicopter and a battery that remained connected might have sparked a fire, he said.

Therefore, Red Rock Canyon Road was closed in both directions. The stretch of road — between Sky Vista Drive and Moenkopi Road — will not reopen until Thursday afternoon, Metro Police said.

The helicopter, manufactured in 2005, is registered to Binner Enterprises LLC, a Henderson-based company, according to FAA records. Its latest certification is set to expire in 2021.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be conducting an investigation, Kenitzer said.