The pilot of a private plane was killed in a midair collision with a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter on Wednesday at the Carlisle Regional Airport.
Two troopers in the helicopter were also injured in the Aug. 19 crash, which is still being investigated.
In a press conference at the Penn State Health Hershey Medical Center, Gov. Josh Shapiro said that the troopers in the helicopter were expected to "be ok" after lifesaving efforts from hospital staff. The troopers have been identified as Cpl. Bryce Corman and Trooper Jason Mills, who Shapiro said were members of the elite aviation unit.
At about 6:30 p.m., a state police helicopter crew based out of Harrisburg was down at the Carlisle Airport conducting routine training exercises. State Police Acting Commissioner Lt. Colonel George Bivens said that at 6:52 p.m. the troopers were hovering several feet off the ground on a grassy area adjacent to the runway.
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A small Cessna Model 150 plane approached from behind and lined up with one of the runways in that grassy area. Bivens said the craft was a two-seat plane, typically used as a trainer aircraft.
"As that Cessna came down along that runway, for an unknown reason it veered hard to the right at the last moment," he said. "It struck the helicopter from the rear. The pilots would not have been able to see that airplane approaching them."
The plane hit the rear tail rotor and went into the main rotor of the helicopter, according to Bivens. This resulted in "a very violent crash," with the plane crashing into the ground a short distance away "in many pieces."
The one known occupant of the Cessna aircraft did not survive the crash. Bivens said officials were not releasing the name of that person as of Wednesday evening, pending notification of next of kin.
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"That plane was cut into a lot of pieces, and so part of the investigation will be ensuring that there was, what we believe, one occupant," Bivens said.
The helicopter rolled inverted and crashed onto the ground on its side, with part of its roof remaining on the ground. Both pilots were initially trapped inside the helicopter, with the pilot able to push out a window and free the other trooper.
Dr. Ashley Ludwig, trauma medical director at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, said troopers were transported by aircraft for medical treatment after the incident.
"We received two patients that came in as Level 1 trauma activations," Ludwig said. "Both of them, thankfully, came out with just minor injuries and are stable."
Ludwig added that one trooper was in the process of being discharged Wednesday evening. The second was being admitted for observation.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation, with support from the Pennsylvania State Police. Bivens said officials have secured the scene Wednesday evening, and police have obtained video and photographs used for the investigation.
Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at [email protected] or on X at @DAMattToth.
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This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: 1 killed, 2 troopers injured in midair collision at Carlisle airport