ALPINE, Ala. (AP) — An agricultural pilot was killed in Alabama when the helicopter he was flying crashed in an unincorporated community near Sylacauga, authorities said.
Zachary Warren Pourciau, 30, of Ventress, Louisiana, was spraying pesticides in the Town of Alpine when the Bell Helicopter OH-58A crashed about 6:15 p.m. Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Talladega County Coroner Shaddix Murphy.
Pourciau, who was the only person on board, was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m., Murphy said, according to Al.com.
Officials said when they arrived at the scene they found the helicopter next to the road. There was no fire, but a small amount of fuel spilled, investigators told WIAT-TV.
“Unfortunately, this is the business that we’re in and these are the things we have to deal with. It’s never a good day when we have to deal with somebody that’s lost their life,” Sylacauga Fire Chief Nate Osgood said.
What caused the crash remains under investigation.
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