This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A St. George man and his teenage son survived a helicopter crash Sunday near Escalante, with the father seriously injured and the boy escaping with minor cuts and bruises.
The pilot, Duane Fielding, and his 14 year old son, who was not immediately identified, were sightseeing about nine miles up Main Canyon, which is west of Escalante, when they began experiencing some trouble, the Garfield County Sheriff's Office reported.
Fielding attempted to turn the Robinson R22 model helicopter around and it was hit by a gust of wind, causing the tail to hit the ground, the sheriff's officer reported.
Fielding was transported to Garfield Memorial Hospital and later airlifted to Dixie Regional Hospital in St. George. The man's son treated for some injuries and released, the sheriff's office reported.
Fielding is one of nine people — including Jeremy Johnson — named in a 2010 Federal Trade Commission civil complaint in connection with Johnson's iWorks Inc., which was the center of a host of companies that sold products that included "make-money schemes" and "stay-health programs."