Crop duster killed in plane crash southwest of Oxford in Benton County
OXFORD, Ind. ― A 35-year-old man crop dusting in southeastern Benton County died Monday evening after his plane crashed, Benton County Coroner Matt Rosenberger said.
The yellow single-engine plane crashed around 6:40 p.m. Monday, and there were no direct eyewitnesses, Rosenberger said.
The plane crashed in a bean field between Benton County Roads 700 and 800 South and 100 and 200 East, Rosenberger said. The crash site is southwest of Oxford and southeast of Boswell.
Rescuers found the plane upside down in the field and on fire, Benton County Sheriff John Cox said in a news release published Tuesday morning.
The fire was quickly extinguished, and the pilot was found to be dead, Cox said.
The plane is owned and operated by Bi-State Air, Cox said.
Bi-State is a family owned aerial application company based in Veedersburg, according to its Facebook page.
The bean field where the plane crashed was not the field that the pilot was spraying, Rosenberger said.
A no-fly zone was created over the crash site, and investigators from the National Transportation and Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are expected to be on site Tuesday to investigate, Cox said. Indiana Department of Environmental Management also is expected to investigate the site on Tuesday.
Benton County Road 200 East between 700 and 800 South remained closed Tuesday until the wreckage is removed, Cox said.
An autopsy is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, Rosenberger said, who said they are still trying to positively identify the pilot.
The crash remains under investigation.
This story will be updated.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Crop duster killed in plane crash in Benton County