Officials ID pilot killed in helicopter crash near I-70
Jul. 30—CLARK COUNTY — A helicopter pilot killed Saturday in a crash into a cornfield after clipping power lines near Interstate 70 has been identified.
The Springfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said 36-year-old Isaac Lee Santos from Gettysburg, Pa., was pronounced dead at the scene. The helicopter, a Bell 206L-4, was being used by the aerial application business Helicopter Applicators Inc., — a company that performs aerial applications such as herbicide and insecticide to farmland and other industries — based out of Gettysburg.
Santos was flying near I-70 close to milepost 58 in Springfield Twp. around 12:12 p.m. when the helicopter struck power lines and then crashed into a field, the patrol said.
The power lines fell onto westbound and eastbound lanes of I-70, which caused seven vehicles to be involved in minor crashes, according to OSHP.
No other injuries were reported.
Traffic on the interstate was brought to a standstill after the power lines went down, moving again after about 5 hours. The highway was closed while Ohio Edison removed the high voltage lines from the roadway, the patrol said.
Power was out for the area during that time.
The helicopter was found in a cornfield on East Possum Road, where OSHP, the Clark County Sheriff's Office, Springfield Twp. Fire Dept., Clark County EMA and the Clark County Coroner's Office responded.
OSHP, Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are all investigating the incident.
