Rural Otterbein man killed in crop-dusting plane crash in Benton County

FOWLER, Ind. ― Robert Ray Cottingham is the crop-duster pilot killed Monday evening in a plane crash southwest of Oxford, Benton County Coroner Matt Rosenbarger said Wednesday in news release.

Rescuers found Cottingham strapped inside the yellow crop-dusting plane that crashed in a bean field about 6:40 p.m. Monday near Benton County Road 200 East between County Roads 700 and 800 South.

The plane was upside down and on fire when rescuers arrived, according to the sheriff's office. The fire was extinguished, but Cottingham, 35, of rural Otterbein, was dead from the injuries he suffered in the crash, Rosenbarger noted Tuesday after the autopsy.

The manner of death is pending toxicology reports, which can take up to six weeks to get back.

Meanwhile, the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation and Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Cottingham was flying a plane owned by Bi-State, which is a family-owned aerial application company based in Veedersburg, according to the sheriff's office and Bi-State's Facebook page.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Rural Otterbein man killed in crop-dusting plane crash in Benton County