Midair collision at Carlisle Airport kills pilot, injures two state troopers
A small Cessna and a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter collided near Carlisle Regional Airport, killing the plane's pilot and injuring two troopers, while federal investigators examine the cause.
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are examining a fatal midair collision that occurred Wednesday evening at Carlisle Regional Airport in Cumberland County, about 30 miles southwest of Harrisburg. A Pennsylvania State Police helicopter was hovering a few feet above a grassy area adjacent to a runway when a Cessna 150, which was lining up to land, veered sharply and struck the helicopter from behind.
The impact caused the helicopter to lose its tail boom and rotors, roll inverted and come to rest on its side, trapping both crew members inside. Pennsylvania State Police Acting Commissioner Col. George Bivens said the pilots would not have been able to see the approaching airplane and described the event as "a very violent crash."
The Cessna broke into multiple pieces a short distance away; its sole occupant, the pilot, was killed. The two troopers, Corporal Bryce Corman and Trooper Jason Mills, were rescued after Corman forced a window open and helped Mills exit the aircraft. Both were treated at Hershey Medical Center as Level 1 trauma patients but sustained only minor injuries and were reported to be in stable condition.
Governor Josh Shapiro, speaking at a news conference, said the outcome could have been much worse and expressed gratitude to the troopers and their families. State officials noted that the airport lacks an air traffic control tower, and pilots rely on a shared radio frequency, which investigators will review as part of the inquiry. The FAA and NTSB arrived on site shortly after the crash, and state police have secured video and photographs to aid reconstruction of the collision.