Midair Collision Claims Life of Cessna Pilot, Injures Two State Police Troopers
A fatal midair collision occurred at Carlisle Airport in Pennsylvania, involving a Cessna 150 and a State Police helicopter. The incident highlights concerns over mixed airspace and the importance of see-and-avoid rules at non-towered airports.
The pilot of a Cessna 150 was killed in a midair collision with a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter at Carlisle Airport, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday evening. The accident occurred when the Cessna struck the helicopter from behind while it was conducting routine training.
## One Dead After Midair Collision
The collision occurred at the small public-use airfield of Carlisle Airport, which is primarily used for general aviation flights. The accident happened just before 7:00 PM local time, flipping the Pennsylvania State Police Bell 407 helicopter onto its side. According to State Police Commissioner George Bivens, the Cessna plane struck the helicopter from the rear.
Video footage of the aftermath shows a huge emergency service presence at the scene. The two injured pilots were named as Corporal Bryce Corman and Trooper Jason Mills of the state police aviation unit, while the deceased pilot of the Cessna 150 has yet to be named. Both troopers escaped through a window and were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Bivens said that the Cessna pilot veered hard to the right at the last moment for an unknown reason.
## A Small Airport Without A Control Tower
Carlisle Airport has a single runway, 10/28, which is over 4,000 feet long, but does not have its own control tower. This means that pilots operating in and out of the airfield use see-and-avoid rules, as is the case with the majority of non-towered airports in the US. Rather than following instructions from air traffic controllers, pilots broadcast their position and intentions on a shared radio frequency.
There is no radar service available, so the responsibility of spotting and avoiding other traffic is entirely on the crews of each aircraft. According to FAA data, the vast majority of aircraft based at Carlisle Airport are single-engine aircraft, although there are also a number of helicopters and multi-engine planes.
## Scrutiny Over Mixed Airspace
The Pennsylvania State Police Aviation Section was established in 1968 and operates six helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft, with more than 30 trooper pilots under its command. Its Bell 407GX fleet, which can seat up to seven passengers, was delivered between 2013 and 2014, but is now down to five airframes. Among the helicopter's duties are search and rescue, pursuit, and aerial surveillance.
The crash occurred during a period of heightened attention on airspace shared between helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, driven by the tragedy of American Airlines flight 5342 on January 29, 2025. A US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a PSA Airlines CRJ700 operating under the American Eagle brand while on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), killing all 67 people onboard the two aircraft.
This tragedy led to a review of procedures around areas where helicopters and planes operate in close proximity. In the aftermath of the collision, the FAA introduced several measures aimed at reducing the risk of similar accidents, including changes to helicopter operations around DCA.
| Aircraft | Type | Registration | | --- | --- | --- | | Cessna 150 | Single-engine aircraft | N23330 | | Bell 407 | Helicopter | N873ST |
The National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Carlisle overnight to begin their investigation into the collision, aided by investigators from the FAA. According to Bivens, video and photographs recovered from the airport would be used to reconstruct what happened.
