A man inside the crop duster crashed into a field this afternoon leaving the pilot trapped inside. It happened east of Highway 41 near Harlan Road in Riverdale.
The helicopter was spraying chemicals in two fields when it went down.
Firefighters had to take special precautions when rescuing the pilot. Witnesses say the pilot's spotters adn fuelers were on site communicating with the pilot when he suddenly went down. Fresno County Fire and Sheriff's Department responded to the crash. There, they found the pilot heavily entangled inside the helicopter.
"They were first concerned with the transportation of herbicides on the aircraft. So, after taking precautions they were able to being extraction of the patient. It took just about an hour to extracate the patient," said captain if the Fire Department, Ryan Michaels.
The pilot was lifelighted to a local hospital. Fresno County Sheriff's Department says the pilot did not suffer any life-thretening injuries. The crash is still under investigation.
