1 PILOT KILLED WHEN AN S2R-T34 THRUSH CROP DUSTER HITS THE DUST IN BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA

JUNE 2, 2015

BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA

The pilot of a crop duster died Tuesday, June 2, when his airplane crashed in an alfalfa field near Blythe.

The plane went down about 10:45 a.m.

A witness said the pilot was spraying the field on Seeley Avenue, west of Neighbours Boulevard, when he crashed, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a news release. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said the plane contained fertilizer.

The pilot was the only person aboard, Cal Fire said in a news release. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sheriff officials have not released the name of the pilot, but he is believed to be from Yuma, Arizona and works for Morris Ag Aviation.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said by email that the plane was a single-engine S2R-T34 that crashed under unknown circumstances.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, Gregor said.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said drivers should avoid the intersection of Seeley and Stephenson Boulevard through about 9 p.m. as it is closed for the investigation.

Date:	02-JUN-2015
Time:	10:45
Type:	S2R-T34 Thrush
Owner/operator:
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Airplane damage:	Substantial
Location:	SE of Blythe Airport (KBLH), Blythe, CA -   United States of America
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Agricultural
Departure airport:
Destination airport:

Narrative:

The aircraft impacted farm field terrain during an aerial application flight southeast of Blythe Airport (KBLH), Blythe, California. The agplane sustained substantial damage and the sole pilot onboard received fatal injuries.

Sources:

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=176604 http://www.pe.com/articles/crash-768804-blythe-duster.html http://paloverdevalleytimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=21430&TM=3101.301
http://www.agairupdate.com/article_detail.php?_kp_serial=00001683