Pilot killed after small plane and police helicopter collide in Pennsylvania

• A small Cessna 150 plane collided midair with a Pennsylvania State Police Bell 407 helicopter near Carlisle Airport, killing the plane's pilot.
• The helicopter crashed on its side, trapping two troopers who escaped with minor injuries and were hospitalised in stable condition.
• The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating the violent crash that occurred during the helicopter's routine training exercises.

PENNSYLVANIA - The pilot of a small plane was killed when it collided midair with a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter in south-central Pennsylvania, US, on Aug 19, the authorities said.

The aircraft, a two-seat Cessna 150, veered sharply to the right as it attempted to land at the airport in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, shortly before 7pm local time, said Lieutenant-Colonel George Bivens, the acting commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police.

The plane struck the helicopter, a Bell 407, from behind as it hovered near the runway, damaging the helicopter’s main rotor, Bivens said in a news conference on the night of Aug 19.

The helicopter rolled and crashed onto its side and roof, trapping the two troopers on board, he said. Corporal Bryce Corman opened a window and helped trooper Jason Mills out of the helicopter, Bivens said.

They were taken to Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for minor injuries and were in stable condition, said Dr Ashley Ludwig, the hospital’s trauma medical director.

Bivens did not identify the Cessna pilot, who the authorities believed was the plane’s only occupant.

“It was a very violent crash. That plane was cut into pieces,” he said. “Part of the investigation will be ensuring that there was one occupant.”

The helicopter had been conducting routine training exercises near Carlisle Airport since 6.30pm local time, he said.

The US National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they would investigate the collision. NYTIMES

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.