Helicopter crashes near Springfield, killing pilot and causing minor accidents, police say

SPRINGFIELD (AP) — Authorities say a helicopter hit power lines and crashed near I-70 west of Columbus Saturday, killing the pilot and causing a series of crashes.

The Ohio state highway patrol said the Bell 206L-4 aircraft was flying near the interstate in Springfield Township in Clark County when it hit the lines and crashed into a cornfield shortly after noon.

The pilot, 36-year-old Isaac Lee Santos of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was killed.

The Springfield News-Sun says the aircraft was owned by a firm doing aerial applications such as herbicide and insecticide.

Power lines fell onto the westbound and eastbound lanes of I-70, resulting in minor crashes of seven vehicles.