Dad Tried to Keep Daughter ‘Calm’ as Helicopter Plunged 500 Feet to Ground. After Crash, She Asked, ‘Are You Alive’

A father comforted his daughter as the helicopter they were riding in plunged nearly 500 feet to the ground in Utah over the weekend, according to the family.

All four people onboard survived the crash, though the young woman was airlifted in critical condition.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Baylee Demars told NBC affiliate KSL after learning her father, Kory Toone, and sister, Oaklee Toone, had been involved in a helicopter crash on Sunday, Jan. 18.

“It really is my worst nightmare,” Demars said.

That afternoon, at about 3:10 p.m. local time, a Bell 206L carrying four people crashed near a highway in Wasatch County, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed.

Officials said they received a report of the crash and located the helicopter roughly 100 yards off State Road 35, according to a statement from the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office.

“One individual sustained critical injury and was transported by AirMed to a hospital for treatment of a head injury,” authorities said. “The remaining occupants were evaluated at the scene.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading an ongoing investigation. A spokesperson said the on-scene phase is complete, and a preliminary report is expected by next month. A final report is expected within one to two years.

The crash cut short what had started as a fun outing for the Toones and their close friends — the pilot and his wife — KSL reported.

Kory began recording the flight on his cell phone, capturing a moment of him and Oaklee smiling. But as the helicopter later began spinning out of the pilot’s control and dropping toward the ground, Kory dropped his phone, according to KSL.

The recording continued, and Demars later listened to the audio captured before the helicopter went down near Wolf Creek Campground.

“Something you got to know about my dad is he’s a rock,” Demars told KSL. “Hearing him coach my sister through that and keep her calm, they both think they’re about to die, and he’s keeping her calm.”

At the end of the recording, Demars said she could hear her sister call out to their father: “I’m alive. I’m alive. Dad, are you alive?”

“He responded back and that was music to my ears,” Demars told the outlet. “I was just so happy to hear that they could talk.”

Nearby snowmobilers — including one who was a nurse — witnessed the helicopter’s descent and helped the passengers until first responders arrived.

Kory is now recovering from serious chest injuries, and Oaklee suffered a head injury, KSL reported.

Demars said she believes the pilot’s actions helped save everyone onboard.

All four people have since been released from the hospital — something she called a “miracle,” KSL reported. Still, Demars said her sister faces a long recovery, prompting her to launch a GoFundMe.

“She works tirelessly to provide for herself and this head injury will prevent her from income for some time,” Demars wrote in the fundraiser. “The upcoming cost of her AirMed and medical bills are certainly stressful for her.”

As the family continues to heal, Demars said they’re holding tight to what matters most.

“The thing you experience when you think you’re about to die is you’re not thinking about your possessions,” she told KSL. “You’re thinking about people, your family, your friends, your loved ones.”

She added, “My dad expressed that that was what was running through his mind.”