Plane pilot killed after small airplane collides with Pennsylvania State Police helicopter

A small airplane collided with a Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) helicopter during a training exercise at Carlisle Airport on Wednesday evening, killing the pilot and injuring two troopers, officials said.

During a press conference held at Penn State Hershey Medical Center by state police Acting Commissioner Lt. Colonel George Bivens and Gov. Josh Shapiro, officials said a Cessna 150 airplane and a Bell 407 helicopter collided in midair around 6:30 p.m. near Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Located in South Central Pennsylvania, Carlisle is around 25 miles west of the state’s capital of Harrisburg and around 36 miles from Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Bivens said a police helicopter was hovering over a grassy area conducting routine training when it was hit by the small Cessna aircraft.

“The Cessna plane, for an unknown reason, veered hard to the right at the last moment. It struck the helicopter from the rear,” Bivens said. “The pilots (of the helicopter) would not have been able to even see that airplane approaching them.”

Bivens said it was a “very violent crash.”

Two troopers, who are with the PSP Aviation Unit and were inside the helicopter, were injured and taken to the hospital. Shapiro identified the injured troopers as Cpl. Bryce Korman and Trooper Jason Mills. He said the troopers were injured but “are going to be OK and survive their injuries.”

Police believe the pilot was the only person aboard the Cessna. The pilot’s identity was not released pending notification of next of kin.

The Federal Aviation Administration arrived at the scene Wednesday night. The National Transportation Safety Board was also expected to respond and will lead the investigation.

Shapiro said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had been in touch with him regarding the crash, and also said he had spent time with the families of the two troopers on Wednesday night.

State police and other first responders arrived at the airport shortly after the collision. Shapiro credited their quick response with saving the troopers’ lives.

“Tonight could have been much worse,” Shapiro said. “Tonight could have been much more tragic for our state police family.”

There has been increased attention to airspace shared between helicopters and planes since last year’s midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people. In that crash, a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet as it was landing.

Witnesses recount aircraft crash

One witness said she saw pieces of the plane and helicopter scattered across the ground and someone being taken out on a stretcher and transported by Life Lion, sister station WGAL reports.

“I’m here six days a week, and we’re so used to helicopters and life flights and everything flying in. So, this was like nothing, nothing out of the ordinary until we heard the crash. And a lot of the kids unfortunately witnessed it. And it’s pretty sad,” she said.

Witnesses also reported hearing a loud bang at the time of the crash.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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CNN, the Associated Press, and sister stations WGAL contributed to this report