Authorities are investigating a Wednesday morning helicopter crash near the intersection of Seventh Street and Century Avenue in Maplewood, just east of the Maplewood Nature Center and near that city's western border with Oakdale.
The Maplewood Police Department has confirmed that the pilot died in the crash, according to the Star Tribune.
The helicopter was found next to a detached garage at a home on the 2700 block of Seventh Street and both were on fire, according to Lt. Kerry Crotty with the Maplewood Police Department.
The rotors appear to have taken out part of the garage, she said.
Witnesses have told multiple media outlets they saw the helicopter "take a dive" and "spin" near Seventh Street, lose power and then come back to the ground.
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District is assisting with the investigation. Reports, including the Star Tribune account of the crash, point to an order for mosquito spraying in the area, scheduled for today.
Sprayers are normally flown by a solo pilot, and do fly low to the ground after making high, banking turns. The chopper was under contract to spray for mosquitoes in Maplewood, a Metropolitan Mosquito Control District spokeswoman told KSTP.
Rod Andrew Wilson of Andrews Photography, which provided Oakdale Patch with photos, said he heard noises prior to the chopper's crash. The accident happened near his studios in Maplewood.
No one was at the home at the time, Lt. Crotty said, and there is no early indication of what caused the helicopter to crash. Witnesses saw it falling and heard the crash, she said.
On its Facebook page, the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District said:
A helicopter owned by Scott’s Helicopter Services doing contract work for the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, crashed in Maplewood this morning. The pilot, whose name has not been released, was killed. The helicopter was on its way to a wetland habitat to apply a treatment of Bti, a dry granule applied to water to prevent mosquitoes from emerging.
MMCD has temporarily suspended helicopter operations, and the National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into the crash.
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District has worked with Scott's Helicopter Services for more than 20 years. Our thoughts and prayers are, of course, with the pilot’s family, friends, and colleagues.
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