CORYDON – The Indiana State Police in Sellersburg is assisting in the investigation of a helicopter crash that occurred Wednesday afternoon in rural Harrison County.
Around 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Indiana State Police troopers were notified of a helicopter crash off Big Indian Road NE, a short distance northeast of Corydon.
When officers arrived, they found the wreckage of a Bell 206 helicopter in a cornfield a short distance off the roadway and near a rural residence.
The pilot, 29-year-old Zane Lightner of Billings Montana, was already transported to the Harrison County Hospital by private vehicle. Lightner was later transported from Harrison COunty Hospital to University Hospital in Louisville with non-life-threatening injuries. Â
The preliminary investigation reveals that the helicopter is owned and operated by Southmark Aviation in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The helicopter was being used as a crop duster and accidentally struck a power line running across the cornfield where the helicopter was dusting the crops.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been contacted and will be conducting a joint investigation with the National Transportation Safety Administration Board (NTSB).
This crash is still under investigation. ISP conducted the preliminary investigation and is maintaining scene security until the arrival of federal investigators.
