One person is dead and two Pennsylvania state troopers were injured when a small plane collided with a hovering police helicopter at Carlisle Regional Airport, officials said.
The pilot of a Cessna 150 fixed-wing aircraft did not survive the crash, said LCol George Bivens, acting police state commissioner, late Wednesday evening. The troopers escaped with minor injuries, but were trapped inside the helicopter following the crash, he said.
An investigation led by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is underway.
The police helicopter was engaged in routine training practices and was hovering several feet of the ground on a grassy area adjacent to a runway when the incident occurred.
As the Cessna came down along that runway, it veered hard to the right at the last minute, “for an unknown reason,” said Bivens.
It struck the helicopter from behind, resulting in a “very violent crash,” he said. “The pilots would not have been able to even see that airplane approaching them.”
A short distance ahead, the plane hit the ground and separated into several pieces.
The helicopter lost its blades and tail boom and rolled inverted. It crashed on its side, “and partially over onto its roof,” said Bivens.
One of the troopers pushed out a window and helped his colleague exit the aircraft, according to preliminary police findings. The second trooper “had a lot of bleeding,” Bivens said.
“There was certainly a lot of concern that there could be a fire or other hazard, because of the violent nature of the crash,” he added.
The troopers arrived at Hershey Medical Center as level one trauma patients, but came out with “just minor injuries, and are stable,” said Dr. Ashley Ludwig, trauma medical director.
“We’re very grateful that our colleagues with the Pennsylvania State Police are doing as well as they are,” Ludwig said.
The name of the deceased pilot was not immediately released, pending notification of next of kin.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro reportedly identified the two state troopers as State Police Corporal Pilot Bryce Corman and Trooper Pilot Jason Mills.
