Cessna 150 Pilot Killed After Collision with Pennsylvania State Police Helicopter at Carlisle Airport
Why It MattersThe accident highlights collision-risk exposure at general-aviation airports where fixed-wing traffic and low-hovering rotorcraft training operations share uncontrolled airspace and CTAF communications.
A Cessna 150 pilot was killed Wednesday evening when the aircraft struck a Pennsylvania State Police Bell 407 helicopter during a training exercise at Carlisle Airport in central Pennsylvania. Two state police crew members aboard the helicopter, Cpl. Bryce Corman and Trooper Jason Mills, survived and were hospitalized with minor injuries at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, the helicopter was hovering several feet above a grassy area beside the runway at approximately 6:52 p.m. when the Cessna 150 approached to land. Acting Commissioner Col. George Bivens said the airplane veered to the right near the runway and struck the rear of the helicopter, noting the pilots would not have been able to see the airplane approaching. The helicopter lost its rotor blades and tail boom and came down on its side; Corman pushed out a window and helped Mills exit. The Cessna 150 came down a short distance away and broke into multiple pieces, with authorities believing the pilot was its only occupant.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a news conference at the medical center that the night could have been much worse. The FAA responded to the airport Wednesday night, and the NTSB arrived overnight to investigate, obtaining video, photographs and CTAF communications for review. The cause of the accident has not yet been determined.
