A pilot was killed, while two Pennsylvania State Police officers were injured after a small plane collided midair with a police helicopter on Wednesday evening.
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The accident occurred at Carlisle Airport in Cumberland County. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the aircraft involved were a Cessna 150 and a Bell 407 police helicopter.
The person who died was the Cessna pilot, and he is believed to have been the only person aboard the plane.
Meanwhile, the helicopter’s two pilots, who serve in the Pennsylvania State Police’s elite aviation unit, were injured. Authorities said their injuries were not life-threatening.
The helicopter, which is based in Harrisburg, was at the airport for routine training exercises. At the time of the incident, it was hovering several meters above the ground over a grassy area.
Authorities said the Cessna 150 approached from behind and positioned itself toward one of the runways, near where the helicopter was located. It is not yet known why the plane changed course in the final seconds, but it struck the helicopter from behind.
Both helicopter pilots told authorities that they did not notice the plane as it approached.
The impact caused the helicopter to overturn and crash to the ground. The Cessna pilot died at the scene, while the two helicopter pilots were initially trapped inside the aircraft and then managed to get out.
FAA officials went to the scene, while overnight investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began working to determine the causes of the collision.
