Crop dusting pilot dies in crash

UPDATE: A pilot who died in a crop dusting accident in the Wheatbelt yesterday was flying erratically just before the crash, witnesses said.

The male pilot was flying over a paddock near Chalk Hill Road, about 400m west of Hyden-Lake King Road in Hyden, when the light plane crashed just before 3pm.

The man is believed to have died on impact.

He has not been formally identified but police believe he is a 51-year-old man from Victoria.

Police and firefighters from Kondinin and Hyden attended the scene.

Repacholi Aviation owner Gerald Repacholi, who operates a fleet of 11 crop dusters, said he had received a call warning him of a pilot flying recklessly over a paddock.

The plane did not belong to Repacholi Aviation.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators will arrive at the crash site today.

A report on the crash death will be prepared for the Coroner.