1 Dead After Small Plane and State Police Helicopter Collide in Pennsylvania

One person died and two Pennsylvania State Police troopers sustained injuries when a small plane and a state police helicopter collided in a midair crash at Carlisle Airport in Cumberland County on Wednesday evening, August 19, 2026, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and state officials.

Emergency Response and Investigation at Carlisle Airport

The collision involved a Cessna 150 and a Bell 407 helicopter, federal aviation authorities confirmed. Acting Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Lt. Col. George Bivens stated during a Wednesday night news briefing that the pilot of the Cessna, believed to be the aircraft’s sole occupant, died at the scene. The name of the deceased pilot was not immediately released by authorities.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro addressed the briefing, confirming that the two pilots aboard the helicopter—both members of the state police elite aviation unit—survived the crash with injuries and are expected to recover. Dr. Ashley Ludwig, trauma director at Penn State Hershey Medical Center where the troopers were transported, noted that both sustained minor injuries and remained in stable condition.

The incident occurred just before 7 p.m. ET as the Harrisburg-based helicopter conducted routine training exercises at the airport located about 120 miles west of Philadelphia. Bivens explained that the helicopter was hovering several feet off the ground on a grass area adjacent to a runway when the Cessna approached from behind, aligning with a nearby runway.

“As that Cessna came down along that runway, for an unknown reason, it veered hard to the right at the last moment,” Bivens stated to reporters. “It struck the helicopter from the rear. The pilots would not have been able to even see that airplane approaching them.”

Collision Dynamics and Wreckage Recovery

Bivens described the impact as a violent event that caused the helicopter to roll inverted before crashing onto its side and partially onto its roof. Both troopers were initially trapped inside the wreckage. One of the injured pilots managed to push out a window, enabling both occupants to escape prior to emergency transport.

The National Transportation Safety Board classified the event as a midair collision and will lead the ongoing investigation with assistance from the FAA. Bivens noted that investigators are reviewing available video footage and photographs to reconstruct the sequence of events. Following documentation at the site, the wreckage is slated for transport to a secure facility for detailed examination.

Reflecting on the scale of the emergency, Gov. Shapiro remarked during the press briefing, “Tonight could have been much worse, tonight could have been much more tragic for our state police family, thank God that it wasn’t.”