The two helicopters both plunged to the ground after the midair collision.
Credit...WPVI-TV/6ABC, via Associated Press

Pilot Is Dead After Helicopters Crash in New Jersey

Another pilot was in critical condition, according to the fire chief in Hammonton, N.J., where the crash took place.

by · NY Times

Two helicopters crashed in midair in southern New Jersey on Sunday, leaving one pilot dead and the other critically injured, fire officials said.

The aircraft collided around 11:30 a.m. over Hammonton, N.J., about 35 miles southeast of Philadelphia. Both helicopters then crashed to the ground, according to Chief Kevin Friel of the Hammonton Fire Department.

There were no passengers on the helicopters, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Videos posted on social media showed at least one helicopter spiraling out of the air and a separate plume of smoke nearby. One of the helicopters was “engulfed in flames,” Chief Friel said.

Video shows the moment a helicopter plummeted toward the ground in Hammonton, N.J.
CreditCredit...Dan Dameshek, via Storyful

It was not immediately clear what led to the crash. Both helicopters were small, light aircraft: one an Enstrom F-28A, the other was an Enstrom 280C, according to the F.A.A.

The F.A.A. and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.

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