Pilot killed in violent collision with Pennsylvania police helicopter
[August 20, 2026]
By HALLIE GOLDEN
An airplane
pilot died Wednesday after a violent collision with a Pennsylvania State
Police helicopter near a runway at a small airport, but both state
troopers aboard the helicopter survived, authorities said.
The plane was coming down on the runway and veered into the helicopter
that was near the ground, Lt. Col. George Bivens, the state’s acting
police commissioner, said during a news conference. The FAA and NTSB
called it a midair collision but state police didn’t clarify if the
plane was off the ground. |
Authorities investigate a crash between a Pennsylvania State Police
helicopter and a small plane at the Carlisle airport in Carlisle, Pa.
Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP) |
|
“When I say it was a very violent crash, that plane was cut into
a lot of pieces,” he said, explaining that part of the
investigation will be making sure the pilot was the only person
on board. He said the helicopter lost its blades and tail boom
and crashed onto its side.
The crash at the small airport in Carlisle, about 110 miles (170
kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia, involved the Bell 407
helicopter and the Cessna 150, according to the Federal Aviation
Administration. The Cessna is a two-seat aircraft that is
typically used as a trainer aircraft, according to Bivens.
Both of the pilots in the helicopter were trapped until one
pushed out a window and helped the other out through it, said
Bivens. The pilots, who are from the police's elite aviation
unit and had been performing a training exercise, are stable.
“Tonight could’ve been much worse," said Gov. Josh Shapiro.
"Tonight could’ve been much more tragic for our state police
family.”
Officials are not releasing information about the person who
died in the crash until the person's next of kin are informed.
Photos and video on social media showed a helicopter on its side
near aircraft debris in a field and a line of emergency vehicles
near Carlisle.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were
investigating.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he's been in touch with
the governor.
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