A 63-year-old pilot died when a mosquito control helicopter struck a private radio tower and crashed behind homes in Myakka City, Florida, on Thursday night, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said, according to FOX 13 News.
Emergency dispatchers received multiple 911 calls around 8:54 p.m. about a crash in the 10,000 block of 289th Street East, near Dakin Dairy Farms. Deputies, East Manatee Fire Rescue and Manatee County EMS found the Manatee County Mosquito Control helicopter down in a wooded area behind several homes.
Bystanders pulled the pilot, Isaac Moore, from the wreckage, but he died at the scene. Moore was the only person aboard the helicopter, and no other injuries were reported.
A second mosquito control helicopter conducting routine spraying in the area landed safely nearby.
Sheriff’s detectives secured the crash site and are coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Officials have not said what caused the helicopter to hit the tower, and it is not known how long the federal investigations will take.
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