MANSFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Central Illinois authorities say a helicopter pilot has died after hitting power lines and crashing in a soybean field.
The Piatt County Sheriff’s Office says 47-year-old Paul Reynolds of Mansfield was pronounced dead Tuesday. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. No other injuries were reported.
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The sheriff says emergency responders found Reynolds’ helicopter upside-down in the field near Mansfield. A resident in the area saw the helicopter go down and called for help.
The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports Reynolds had run a crop-dusting business since 2009. He trained to fly helicopters in the Army and flew in Operation Desert Storm.
FAA records show he was rated to fly both single-engine aircraft and helicopters.