Crop duster helicopter crash kills pilot in western Fresno County. FAA investigating
A man died early Wednesday when the helicopter he was flying over a field crashed, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
A crop-dusting company called the sheriff’s office around midnight after a pilot had not returned, deputies said.
The California Highway Patrol and the company sent out airplanes to look for the pilot, and the crash was discovered about 3 a.m. in a field near Sonoma and Chandler avenues in the area south of Five Points, deputies said.
Authorities said they found the man, who was described as being in his 50s, deceased at the crash site. He was the only person on the helicopter in the crash northeast of Coalinga.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been called to the scene to take over the investigation, the sheriff’s office said.
This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 6:36 AM.
