LIVINGSTON — A helicopter flying low to prevent frost from forming on fruit trees at Klein’s Kill Fruit Farms went down early Thursday morning in Livingston, according to Livingston Fire Chief Paul Jahns IV.
Two men in the helicopter, the pilot and a passenger, were not injured in the crash, according to state police Public information Officer Aaron Hicks.
Livingston firefighters and Northern Dutchess Paramedics were dispatched by Columbia County 911 to an area near 115 Cold Spring Road around 3:29 a.m. after the crash was reported by an employee of Klein’s Kill Farm, state police said.
Firefighters were able to locate the downed aircraft in a field off Kilbar Road, around 700 feet from where the fire company was dispatched, Jahns said.
The Bell helicopter was working in Klein’s Kill Fruit Farms’ orchards, attempting to keep frost from forming on their trees, according to an accident report by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The aircraft was hovering over cherry trees when a tail rotor on the helicopter struck a tree, according to the FAA, which is investigating the crash along with members of the state police Bureau of Criminal Investigation from the Livingston barracks.
The helicopter is owned by Air One Mobility Inc. of Kingston. The company operates from the Kingston Ulster Airport, state police said.
Klein’s Kill Fruit Farms rents helicopters that fly above the apple trees to prevent freezing, said owner Russ Bartolotta.
The helicopters create a temperature inversion by bringing warm air from above down to surface level, warming the trees by 3 to 5 degrees, Bartolotta said.
The use of helicopters saved the Klein’s Kill apple crop in 2012, Bartolotta said.
Apples are at a crucial stage in their development, and temperatures as low as 25 degrees could wipe out the crop, Bartolotta said.
Air One Mobility is a nonprofit company funded by donations, according to the company’s website.
The company’s goal is to honor those who served in the military by restoring and maintaining Vietnam-era helicopters to airworthy flight condition so they can be flown and displayed at air shows, memorials, ceremonies and other special events.
Reporter Nora Mishanec contributed to this story.