FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — An initial report on the fatal crash of a crop-dusting helicopter in central California last month indicates the pilot called off spraying because of increasing wind speeds.
The 53-year-old pilot was killed when the 1967 Bell UH-1H went down in an orchard near Coalinga on Feb. 16.
The Fresno Bee says the preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board sets out a timeline for the crash and describes what investigators found at the crash site but offers no indication of a cause.
A final report detailing the cause of the crash is likely to take months to complete.
