Pilot Dies in Fiery Crash of Helicopter : Fatality: Accident occurred on ranch used extensively for films and commercials.

The pilot of a small helicopter died Friday when his aircraft crashed and burned just north of Simi Valley in hills frequently used as a backdrop for films, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 4:15 p.m. in a remote area of Big Sky Movie Ranch at the north end of Erringer Road, Ventura County Fire Department officials said.

The pilot’s identity was not available Friday, and the cause of the crash had not been determined, Ventura County Fire Capt. Jim Arledge said.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and Federal Aviation Administration are conducting a joint investigation of the crash, Sheriff’s Deputy Mo Tua said.

Kent Littlefield, 22, and Philip Derryman, 14, said they were tossing a football along Erringer Road when they heard the “rough-running engine” of the helicopter.

“Then we heard, not a crash, but like a crunch,” Littlefield said. “About 30 seconds later, we saw a plume of black smoke coming up. We ran to the top of the first hill, looked down and saw the fire.” They ran to a neighbor’s house to report the crash.

“This is one of our biggest fears,” said Debra Early, manager of Big Sky Movie Ranch. “Helicopters hover over all of the time.”

Early said she did not know why the privately owned helicopter was flying over the ranch and said it was not working on a film production.

The ranch’s 9,400 acres of hills and canyons have been used extensively by Hollywood production crews for such television shows as “Little House on the Prairie” and “Rawhide.” The helicopter crashed in a hilly area used recently to shoot television commercials for Mazda trucks.

Arledge said firefighters extinguished a small blaze and later sprayed down the wreckage that was scattered over a 100-foot area.

Arledge said firefighters were lucky that the area where the crash occurred was mostly dirt, because strong winds Friday would have caused the fire to spread quickly.