CLAY COUNTY, Ark. -- Members of the Federal Aviation Administration spent much of Saturday at the site of a helicopter crash in northern Arkansas that killed what authorities say was an experienced pilot.
The incident occurred around 1:15 p.m. Friday on the north side of Highway 62, about 2.5 miles west of McDougal. The name of the pilot and an official cause of death were not released by officials as of late Saturday.
It may be weeks before any information is available on the cause of the crash, said Clay County Sheriff Terry Miller, who spent much of Saturday at the location with members of the FAA, National Traffic Safety Board and other officials.
The pilot worked for a company called Air2, which was contracted by Entergy Arkansas.
"The pilot had just dropped off two crew members (at) the power line polls to work when something went wrong and he crashed," said Miller. "According to their (the crew) statements, there was nothing to indicate any kind of problem before the crash."
The crew was on site to change out wooden power polls for metal polls.
The helicopter crashed in a soybean field, but was visible from the highway. The work crew was able to remove the pilot from the helicopter before emergency crews arrived, Miller said, but the man was dead.
The pilot's body will be sent to the Arkansas crime lab, which will determine when more information is released, Miller said.
The helicopter had been removed by Saturday afternoon and will be retrieved Sunday by a private company from western Arkansas, Miller said. It will be taken to an area for reconstruction and further investigation by officials.