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MEN SPENT THEIR LIVES IN THE AIR. >> GOOD GUYS. TODAY IS A TOUGH DAY FOR EVERYBODY BECAUSE THEY LOVE WHAT THEY DID. PIECES OF A WHITE PLANE LAY SCATTERED IN THE FIELD IF YOU HUNDRED FEET AWAY, LIVECOPTER3 SHOWING THE REMAINS OF A CROP DUSTER FLOATING IN THE WATER. >> THEY DIED DOING WHAT THEY LIKE TO DO. >> THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS 62-YEAR-OLD BRIAN AND 58-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN DIED AFTER -- 58-YEAR-OLD BURTON DIED AFTER COLLIDING. >> YOU JUST CAN’T BELIEVE THAT IT COULD HAPPEN. >> INVESTIGATORS SPENT THE DAY COLLECTING EVIDENCE. THEY WILL BE BACK TOMORROW TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. >> IT WILL BE HARD FOR A LONG TIME. THEY WERE SPECIAL TIMES. >> TOM THINKS ABOUT THE PILOTS WHO DIED, THEY WERE HIS BEST FRIENDS. >> THEY ALWAYS HAD A GOOD TIME. >> HE SAYS THEY CAME FROM A FAMILY OF FLYERS. BOTH WERE WELL-KNOWN AND RESPECTED IN THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY. >> BUT THEIR DADS FLEW AIRPLANES. IT GETS UNDER YOUR SKIN, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER JOB OR HOBBY. IS SOMETHING YOU ENJOY. >> THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS IT WILL BE UP TO THE FAA TO DETERMINE IF WEATHER PLAYED A ROLE IN THE CRASH. PILOTS WHO FLY CROP DUSTER’S PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN HELPING FARMERS GET READY. >> WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT RICE, CROPDUSTING IS A KEY PART. PLANTING, FERTILIZING, ALL ABOUT. IT IS A CRUCIAL PART.

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Two pilots were killed Wednesday after a pair of crop duster planes collided in midair over a rice field in Sutter County, authorities said. The collision between two single-engine Grumman G-164C Ag Cats happened around noon near 3870 Pleasant Grove Road in the Pleasant Grove area, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson. Video from LiveCopter 3 showed one plane split into pieces on the ground and the other plane in water about 250 feet away. The pilots have been identified as Brian Van Dyke, 62, and Burton "Burt" Haughey, 58. Their next of kin have been notified, said the Sutter County Sheriff's Office. A friend of both men said the two pilots were friends. “Today is a tough day for everybody, because they loved what they did,” said Tom Beilby. “They wouldn’t have it any other way. They died doing what they liked to do.”Beilby said the two men came from a family of fliers. He said both were well-known and respected in the agricultural community.“Both their dads flew airplanes,” Beilby said. “They started flying airplanes at a young age. It gets under your skin, I think like any other job or hobby, it’s something you enjoy.”The sheriff’s office said it’ll be up to the FAA to determine if weather played a role in the crash.Undersheriff Scott Smallwood said pilots who fly crop duster planes play an important role in helping farmers get ready for spring.“When you think about rice, crop dusting is a key part to rice,” Smallwood said. “Planting, fertilizing, all of that. It’s a crucial part. This is a very sad day.”The circumstances of the collision are not yet known. The FAA along with the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.No other details were released.