Fame
The pilot of a small plane died and two Pennsylvania state troopers were injured after the aircraft collided midair with a police helicopter Wednesday evening, according to authorities.
The Cessna 150 two-seat airplane and Bell 407 helicopter — which photos showed had a state police emblem — crashed near the Carlisle Airport in Cumberland County around 7:50 p.m. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The airplane pilot killed is believed to be the only individual onboard the Cessna jet, which was “cut into a lot of pieces” from the crash, Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens, Acting Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, said at a late-night press conference.
The identity of the Cessna pilot has not been released, pending family notification.
The two Pennsylvania State Police elite aviation unit pilots, identified as Corporal Bryce Corman and Trooper Jason Mills, were injured in the collision but are expected to recover, Gov. Josh Shapiro said outside the hospital where they are being treated.
One of the troopers is expected to be released from the hospital Wednesday night while the other will be admitted for further treatment, according to Dr. Ludwig of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
The Pennsylvania State Police pilots were conducting routine training exercises, hovering above a grassy area adjacent to a runway shortly before 7 p.m. when the Cessna jet began to approach the runway for an unknown reason, Bivens said.
The airplane then veered hard to the right at the last moment and collided with the rear of the helicopter, the state police official said.
The airplane hit the rear tail rotor into the main rotor of the chopper, “resulting in a very violent crash,” he said.
“The pilots would not have been able to even see that airplane approaching them,” Bivens added.
The airplane crashed “a short distance in many pieces,” and the helicopter crashed on its side and partially rolled onto its roof.
Both chopper pilots were initially trapped but Corman managed to push out a window and assist Mills — who is believed to have sustained more severe injuries — out of the wreckage.
Shapiro praised the efforts of medical staff at Hershey Medical Center and the Pennsylvania State Police and said the events “could have been much more tragic for our state police family.”
Photos obtained by Penn Live captured authorities examining the wreckage — the helicopter toppled on its side, with crash debris littering the grass alongside the runway.
Neighbors Patrick Brown and Lloyd Slusser told the outlet they leaped over a fence and ran into the field to help — witnessing two troopers in the helicopter and one person in the plane.
The FAA arrived at the crash site late Wednesday evening and the NTSB is expected to arrive overnight.
Both agencies will lead the investigation, which remains active and ongoing, with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police.
The Pennsylvania State Police did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.