Crop duster pilot killed in Acadia Parish identified (updated)

The crop duster pilot killed in a crash Tuesday has been identified as Jed Lucas Toups, 32, of Heinen Road, Basile.
Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Wayne Melancon released the pilot’s identity Wednesday morning.
An Acadia Parish Coroner’s Office representative pronounced Toups dead on scene.
The crash occurred at 12:40 p.m. near the intersection of Founerat Road and Unatex Road, about one mile south of U.S. 190 and behind TanMar Rentals in Acadia Parish.
According to Maxine Trahan, public information officer with the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office, the 32-year-old pilot was spreading fertilizer on fields in the area when the Air Tractor model plane struck a stand of trees and caught fire.
“The pilot was fertilizing the field behind TanMar,” Trahan said. “For some unknown reason he continued on. The crop duster clipped some trees and he came to a rest probably 400 to 500 feet from the field. The plane caught on fire upon impact.”
Trahan, along with other members of the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Basile Fire Department were son the scene.
The FAA is on the scene and has taken over the investigation, a sheriff’s office news release stated.
The plane was flying out of Basile.
A fundraising page has been established at gofundme.com/toupsfamilyfund.
The page states Toups left behind a pregnant wife and three children.