One dead in Yolo County crop-duster collision
Federal investigators are probing a fatal midair collision between two crop-dusters Saturday morning near Zamora in Yolo County that left one pilot dead.
The collision near County Roads 99E and 13, about 3 miles east of Zamora, happened about 7:45 a.m., killing a pilot of one of the aircraft, said Yolo County sheriff’s Sgt. Charles Hoyt. A second pilot escaped injury but was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution, Hoyt said.
The name of the deceased pilot has not been released, pending notification of family. The pilot’s plane crashed in a rice field on private land off of County Road 13, tucked out of sight of the roadway. Yolo County sheriff’s deputies blocked off entry to the crash site as investigators went about their work.
The second plane landed safely in an open field just south of the wrecked plane off Road 99E, near farmland thick with rows of corn and sunflowers.
Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have taken over the investigation into the fatal collision. Officials at both agencies could not be reached for comment later Saturday.
Darrell Smith: 916-321-1040, @dvaughnsmith
This story was originally published July 23, 2016 at 12:49 PM with the headline "One dead in Yolo County crop-duster collision."