ST. PAUL, Minn., June 19 (UPI) -- A helicopter pilot spraying for mosquitoes in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area was killed Wednesday morning when he crashed into a garage, officials said.
The crash in Maplewood, just east of St. Paul, set the garage on fire, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The family that lives on the property was not home at the time.
Rod Wilson, who works for a photography business near the crash site, said he heard sounds suggesting the helicopter was in trouble.
"It was sputtering around. I heard a whumph, then a big whumph, then it nose-dived," he said.
Stephen Manweiler, operations director for the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, said the helicopter was operated by Scott's Helicopters of Le Sueur, Minn. He said the company, which has had the contract for many years, has a good safety record and he knows of no other fatal crashes.
At the time of the crash, the pilot was dropping a natural substance on wetlands to kill mosquito larvae, Manweiler said.
