Crop duster crashes into field east of Calipatria
Crystal Bedoya
August 22, 2017
CALIPATRIA, Calif. - UPDATE: The Imperial County Fire Department and Imperial County Sheriff's Office have confirmed the identity of the person who died in a small plane Tuesday.
Steven Turner, 40, of Mexicali, died in the crash. Only one person was on board. Officials say Turner was working at the time, crop dusting.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are now investigating. No word yet on what caused the crash.
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A small plane went up in flames after crashing into an agricultural field in Imperial County on Tuesday around noon. Authorities are still investigating the incident.
Imperial County and Calipatria firefighters, as well as paramedics, responded to the field located between the Yocum and Butters Roads east of Calipatria. According to authorities, the incident was reported by a person who was near the area.
Fire Marshal Battalion Angel Morales said the person reporting the incident said there was no explosion or smoke before the plane crashed.
So far authorities have not confirmed whether the pilot died at the time of impact or whether there were other injured people. However, Sheriff patrols arrived as well as the forensic team.
The plane appeared to be a field-spraying aircraft, but authorities have not confirmed this because the investigation continues.
We will have more information as it becomes available.
Aircraft Description
| Serial Number | 5054R | Status | Valid |
| Manufacturer Name | ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL | Certificate Issue Date | 01/25/2016 |
| Model | S-2R | Expiration Date | 01/31/2019 |
| Type Aircraft | Fixed Wing Single-Engine | Type Engine | Turbo-prop |
| Pending Number Change | None | Dealer | No |
| Date Change Authorized | None | Mode S Code (base 8 / oct) | 51442022 |
| MFR Year | 1975 | Mode S Code (base 16 / hex) | A64412 |
| Type Registration | Corporation | Fractional Owner | NO |
Registered Owner
| Name | BANK OF UTAH TRUSTEE | ||
| Street | 200 E SOUTH TEMPLE STE 210 | ||
| City | SALT LAKE CITY | State | UTAH |
| County | SALT LAKE | Zip Code | 84111-1346 |
| Country | UNITED STATES | ||
Airworthiness
| Engine Manufacturer | WRIGHT | Classification | Restricted |
| Engine Model | C7BA SERIES | Category | Agriculture and Pest Control |
| A/W Date | 08/07/1975 | ||
Date: 22-AUG-2017
Time: 12:00 LT
Type:
Rockwell S-2R Thrush Commander
Owner/operator: Private
Registration: N5022X
C/n / msn: 5054R
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Imperial County, east of Calipatria, CA -
United States of America Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature: Agricultural
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Narrative:
The cropduster plane crashed under unknown circumstances and was destroyed by fire. The pilot died in the crash.
Sources:
http://www.kyma.com/news/crop-duster-crash-into-field-east-of-calipatria/609662580
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Butters+Rd+%26+E+Yocum+Rd,+Calipatria,+CA+92233/@33.1119131,-115.3716174,16z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x80d749515ceb21d7:0xcf8fa9b22ae963e?hl=en-us
FAA
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N5022X