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Report: Pilot called off crop dusting just before crashing

Crop Dusting Helicopter Crash, Coalinga
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FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — An initial report on the fatal crash of a crop-dusting helicopter in central California last month indicates the pilot called off spraying because of increasing wind speeds.

The 53-year-old pilot was killed when the 1967 Bell UH-1H went down in an orchard near Coalinga on Feb. 16.

The Fresno Bee says the preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board sets out a timeline for the crash and describes what investigators found at the crash site but offers no indication of a cause.

A final report detailing the cause of the crash is likely to take months to complete.

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