There's been another crop duster plane crash, this time west of the Quad Cities in Washington County. Police say the plane went down just after noon Wednesday, south of Iowa City. The pilot, John Newton, 39, of Mount Pleasant was transferred to University hospitals. It's the fifth crop duster to crash in the Quad City area in the past two years. That includes the crash that killed Charles Salisbury near Cordova just last month.
Whenever there's a crop duster crash employees at Lindell Aerial Ag Service, in Aledo, start to worry.
"It hits home and it hurts because it's so close to home. I know a lot of people nationwide and whenever there's an accident it's always a concern to me," says Garrett Lindell, Owner/Pilot.
Lindell says he knows that Wednesday's crash near Ainsworth, Iowa and the recent fatality near Cordova may make his industry seem dangerous, but he doesn't see it that way.
"I don't see it as a dangerous profession. I simply say a little prayer every morning and go to work and wish for the best," says Lindell.
Crop duster planes have a roll cage inside much like racecars and pilots wear safety harnesses over their chest and lap, plus crash helmets, but in the air a number of things can still go wrong.
"Sometimes it's obstacles, sometimes it's mechanical failures of one type or another and sometimes it's pilot error," says Lindell.
In his 19 years of spraying, Lindell has never had an accident. In the 8 years he's owned Lindell Aerial Ag Service, only one of his pilots has had a plane go down, but he wasn't injured. So far this year there have been about 10 crop duster crashes in the US and 1 fatality in the crash near Cordova. Crop duster pilots say even though they dip and dive less than hundred feet from the ground, it is safer than it seems, if you keep your head out of the clouds.
"Paying attention to how warm it is, not overloading the airplane, the wind...all those things," says Reid Brown, Crop Duster Pilot.
"It's amazing the low amount of accidents per flight hour in the Ag industry. A lot less than general aviation actually," says Lindell.
Lindell and his pilots work to keep it that way.
Wednesday, a coroner's inquest examined the final details in the crash near Cordova. The investigation showed Charles Salisbury was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:30 pm on June 12th. An Illinois state trooper told the jury, a witness saw the plane make one pass over the field, turn, and then hit the ground. That's when the nose of the crop duster burst into flames killing the 46-year-old pilot out of Granville. Salisbury worked for Frank's Flying Service out of Fenton, Iowa.
Whenever there's a crop duster crash employees at Lindell Aerial Ag Service, in Aledo, start to worry.
"It hits home and it hurts because it's so close to home. I know a lot of people nationwide and whenever there's an accident it's always a concern to me," says Garrett Lindell, Owner/Pilot.
Lindell says he knows that Wednesday's crash near Ainsworth, Iowa and the recent fatality near Cordova may make his industry seem dangerous, but he doesn't see it that way.
"I don't see it as a dangerous profession. I simply say a little prayer every morning and go to work and wish for the best," says Lindell.
Crop duster planes have a roll cage inside much like racecars and pilots wear safety harnesses over their chest and lap, plus crash helmets, but in the air a number of things can still go wrong.
"Sometimes it's obstacles, sometimes it's mechanical failures of one type or another and sometimes it's pilot error," says Lindell.
In his 19 years of spraying, Lindell has never had an accident. In the 8 years he's owned Lindell Aerial Ag Service, only one of his pilots has had a plane go down, but he wasn't injured. So far this year there have been about 10 crop duster crashes in the US and 1 fatality in the crash near Cordova. Crop duster pilots say even though they dip and dive less than hundred feet from the ground, it is safer than it seems, if you keep your head out of the clouds.
"Paying attention to how warm it is, not overloading the airplane, the wind...all those things," says Reid Brown, Crop Duster Pilot.
"It's amazing the low amount of accidents per flight hour in the Ag industry. A lot less than general aviation actually," says Lindell.
Lindell and his pilots work to keep it that way.
Wednesday, a coroner's inquest examined the final details in the crash near Cordova. The investigation showed Charles Salisbury was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:30 pm on June 12th. An Illinois state trooper told the jury, a witness saw the plane make one pass over the field, turn, and then hit the ground. That's when the nose of the crop duster burst into flames killing the 46-year-old pilot out of Granville. Salisbury worked for Frank's Flying Service out of Fenton, Iowa.
