SOUTH LONDONDERRY, VERMONT
A helicopter spraying herbicides on a farm field near Gingrich Road in South Londonderry Twp. crashed Friday morning, but the pilot did not appear to be seriously injured.
The pilot, Thomas Green, 59, of Gettysburg, told police he was flying about five feet off the ground spraying a farm field belonging to James Hershey of Elizabethtown about 8:30 a.m. when he got too close to the ground and the landing gear caught, causing the helicopter to flip over to its side. The rotor blades broke off, and the tail separated from the rest of the craft, police said.
Police chief Jeffrey Arnold said gusty winds might have been a factor. The FAA has been brought in to do an investigation.
Arnold said the Bell Jet Ranger Rotocraft was owned by Ag Air, LLC, of Thomasville, York County. He said it is a total loss. Green was lucky to walk away from the crash relatively unscathed, Arnold said. He was taken to Hershey Medical Center for observation.
According to Lawn Fire Dept. Chief Jim Hess, the pilot was able to get out of the helicopter and walk away from the crash. Emergency personnel who were in the helicopter’s spray-zone had to be decontaminated.Arnold said the Lebanon Haz-Mat team was brought in, but the herbicides being used should cause no problem to the environment.