Agricultural helicopter crashes on Highway 101 near Salinas

SALINAS, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) — A pilot sustained minor injuries when his small chopper crashed on a highway near Salinas in California, federal officials said.

The Bell 47G-5 helicopter went down at 6.02 a.m. PDT about a mile south of Salinas Municipal Airport in Salinas, the county seat of Monterey County. The pilot, who was the only person on board, suffered minor injuries.

Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said the wreckage of the helicopter was blocking the southbound lanes of Highway 101. The southbound lanes of the highway remained closed as of 7.20 a.m. PDT.

Federal records show the 1970-build helicopter was registered to Salinas-based Gomes Farm Air Service, Inc.

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