A small-plane pilot was killed Wednesday night when their aircraft struck a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter in a collision near a small airport in Carlisle, while both troopers aboard the helicopter escaped with their lives, authorities said.
Lt. Col. George Bivens, the state's acting police commissioner, told reporters at a news conference that the Cessna 150 was descending toward the runway when it swerved into the helicopter as the plane neared the ground. Bivens did not specify if the helicopter was airborne when the two came together, even as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) classified the wreck as a midair collision.
"When I say it was a very violent crash, that plane was cut into a lot of pieces," Bivens said, adding that investigators still need to confirm the pilot was the only person aboard the plane.
Bivens noted that the Cessna is a two-seat plane commonly used to train new pilots. Two people were aboard the helicopter, while the number of occupants on the Cessna remained unconfirmed, according to federal investigators.
Bivens said the two troopers in the helicopter became trapped after the crash until one of them forced open a window and pulled the other to safety through the opening. The helicopter had been in the middle of a training exercise at the time of the collision, he said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said he had been briefed on the crash and was traveling to Carlisle. "Tonight could've been much worse," Shapiro said. "Tonight could've been much more tragic for our state police family".
Authorities said they are withholding the identity of the pilot killed in the collision until next of kin can be notified.
The FAA and NTSB have both opened investigations into the collision, with the NTSB set to lead the probe and release future updates. Part of that inquiry will focus on verifying whether the pilot was traveling alone.