Pilot killed in crop-dusting helicopter crash in Fresno County identified

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The pilot who was killed after a crop-dusting helicopter crashed into an orchard in Fresno County has been identified.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office has identified the man as 53-year-old Steven Wilson of Shafter, California.

Deputies received a report of the missing aircraft around 11 pm on Tuesday after a crop-dusting company said it lost contact with a pilot. They had been searching for the crop-dusting helicopter and its pilot all night.

At around 3 am Wednesday, a fixed-wing plane involved in the search spotted the helicopter in an orchard near Sonoma and Chandler, northeast of Coalinga near Harris Ranch.

Wilson was the only person onboard the aircraft

Investigators with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are traveling from Arizona.

The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation.