Pilot unharmed in Westley crop duster crash
Aug 13, 2009 | 1397 views | 0 
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WESTLEY — A crop duster crashed into a sewer treatment pond around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, but its pilot was unharmed and was able to swim to safety.
The pilot declined to comment or give his name.
The Valley Crop Dusters plane lost power for an unknown reason almost immediately after taking off, according to Sgt. Robert Banks of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.
It nosedived quickly, traveling about 500 feet before crashing into the Westley Community Sewer Pond and overturning near the bank of the pond.
The pond is about half a mile southwest of the Valley Crop Dusters office, 8513 Kern St. (see map below). Sheriff’s department spokeswoman Gina Leguria said when deputies arrived, the pilot had already returned to the company’s office.
Banks said the pilot had to be “decontaminated” because he crashed into and waded out of sewer water. He said the Stanislaus County Department of Environmental Resources was being called to the scene because of the possibility of chemicals getting into the wastewater.
An employee at Valley Crop Dusters, who also declined to give his name or identify the pilot, said the plane was carrying fertilizer.
It was the second crop duster crash in a little over a year for the Westley company. In July 2008, Valley Crop Dusters pilot Shawn Yoppini escaped with minor injuries after his plane crashed into a power pole, landed in a melon field south of Patterson and burst into flames. The crash caused a brief power outage for Turlock Irrigation District customers.
Yoppini jumped out of his plane before it crashed and initially could not be found by rescue workers. He later called to say he was OK. Valley Crop Dusters is owned by Yoppini’s family.
• Contact James Leonard at 892-6187 or james@pattersonirrigator.com.
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The pilot declined to comment or give his name.
The Valley Crop Dusters plane lost power for an unknown reason almost immediately after taking off, according to Sgt. Robert Banks of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.
It nosedived quickly, traveling about 500 feet before crashing into the Westley Community Sewer Pond and overturning near the bank of the pond.
The pond is about half a mile southwest of the Valley Crop Dusters office, 8513 Kern St. (see map below). Sheriff’s department spokeswoman Gina Leguria said when deputies arrived, the pilot had already returned to the company’s office.
Banks said the pilot had to be “decontaminated” because he crashed into and waded out of sewer water. He said the Stanislaus County Department of Environmental Resources was being called to the scene because of the possibility of chemicals getting into the wastewater.
An employee at Valley Crop Dusters, who also declined to give his name or identify the pilot, said the plane was carrying fertilizer.
It was the second crop duster crash in a little over a year for the Westley company. In July 2008, Valley Crop Dusters pilot Shawn Yoppini escaped with minor injuries after his plane crashed into a power pole, landed in a melon field south of Patterson and burst into flames. The crash caused a brief power outage for Turlock Irrigation District customers.
Yoppini jumped out of his plane before it crashed and initially could not be found by rescue workers. He later called to say he was OK. Valley Crop Dusters is owned by Yoppini’s family.
• Contact James Leonard at 892-6187 or james@pattersonirrigator.com.
View Larger Map
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