ELGIN, Minn. – The first person to reach a downed and burning helicopter in a crash Monday said the craft had been spraying insecticide at low level most of the day. Dan Corbin, who lives just east of the crash site, told a television station KTTC reporter that he heard the crash – a loud explosion. Corbin said the rushed to the crash but flames prevented him from saving the pilot. He surmised from the intensity of the flames that the helicopter was loaded with fuel. In its typical configuration the R-44 rotorcraft has 31-gallon fuel tank and an 18-gallon auxiliary tank. Not immediately clear was what kind of insecticide was being sprayed and whether it was flammable. The spray tanks typically are 800 pounds. Another person who responded to the crash told KTTC that he had witnessed the pilot flying below the power lines while spraying. A question is whether the pilot, Corey Adcock, was in control when his rotor blades clipped a power line. On impact, the helicopter skidded 100 yards through the corn field.
Earlier: R-44 chopper a global but not unflawed workhorse