A pilot was killed and two Pennsylvania State Police troopers sustained minor injuries when a small plane collided with a State Police helicopter Wednesday evening at Carlisle Regional Airport.
The incident occurred around 7 p.m. as the State Police helicopter was performing a hover taxi maneuver near a runway. The pilot of a Cessna 150, identified as 57-year-old emergency room doctor Paul Sokoloski, died at the scene. The two troopers on board the helicopter were hospitalized with minor injuries.
Acting Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens stated that the Cessna appeared to veer right at the last moment before striking the helicopter from behind. "The pilots would not have been able to even see that airplane approaching them," Bivens said. The plane impacted the helicopter's tail rotor before hitting the main rotor, resulting in a "very violent crash."
According to National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge Aaron McCarter, crews from both aircraft had communicated via radio and were aware of each other's presence. McCarter described the Cessna's flight path as straight and level, followed by a sudden increase in pitch, a severe nose-up attitude, a left turn, leveling off, and then a collision with the rear of the helicopter. "Right now we don’t know the details of why the pilot was flying… in that manner, but we are going to find out," McCarter added.
Governor Josh Shapiro acknowledged the incident, stating in a released statement that the situation "could have been much worse for our state police family. Thank God that it wasn’t."
Witnesses described hearing a loud and shocking impact sound. The Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB are investigating the cause of the collision.