A small plane hit a police helicopter that was carrying out an exercise a few meters above the ground. The impact, very violent and recorded by a camera, caused the death of the pilot of the aircraft and the injury of the two officers on board the helicopter.
The accident occurred on Wednesday 19 August at Carlisle regional airport, in Pennsylvania, United States. According to the first reconstruction, a Cessna 150 was returning to the airport and preparing to land while, in a grassy area next to the runway, a Pennsylvania State Police Bell 407 was carrying out an exercise, hovering a few meters above the ground.
Images of the accident show the Cessna suddenly deviating from the runway and hitting the helicopter from behind. The impact severed part of the Bell 407’s rotor system: the helicopter crashed and overturned on its side, while the small plane disintegrated nearby.
The pilot of the Cessna, the only occupant of the plane, died. He was identified as Paul William Sokoloski, 57, a Penn State Health emergency room doctor and certified pilot and flight instructor.
However, the two policemen on board the helicopter, Bryce Corman and Jason Mills, survived. Both were initially trapped in the wreckage: Corman managed to push out a window and help his colleague get out of the aircraft, while there was fear that a fire could break out. Their conditions are not considered serious.
It remains to be seen why the Cessna deviated from the normal landing trajectory. Carlisle regional airport does not have a control tower: pilots coordinate takeoffs, landings and movements using a common radio frequency. According to investigators, the Cessna pilot had been informed of the presence of the helicopter.