Authorities identify couple killed in Utah helicopter crash

ALPINE, Utah (KSL.com) — After she and her husband lifted off in their helicopter Friday morning, Megan Penna posted a photo to Facebook of the happy couple smiling as they soared through the clouds above Utah’s scenic mountainscape.

Then, tragedy struck.

Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon on Sunday identified Megan Michele Penna, 32, and her husband, Benno Anthony Penna, also 32, as the victims of the crashed helicopter found Friday night in an area north of Alpine in Utah County.

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Cannon said the couple lived in Ballard, a small town in Uintah County. Their Facebook profiles show Megan Penna was originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while her husband was a graduate of Union High School in nearby Roosevelt.

“They leave behind two children, a 6-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl,” Cannon said.

The helicopter was reported overdue by family members Friday afternoon after taking off from Vernal Regional Airport en route to South Valley Regional Airport in the Salt Lake Valley just before 2 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Authority, which issued an entry-level alert notification for local authorities and search crews.

The Pennas were the only known occupants of the four-seat Robinson R-44 helicopter, authorities said.

A cause for the crash was still under investigation Sunday.

this article was originally published by KSL.com. It is used here with permission.