TRAGIC CRASH

Pilot Killed in Horror Crash With Police Helicopter

Police reported that the plane was “cut into a lot of pieces.”

A Pennsylvania pilot has died following a harrowing crash with a state police helicopter Wednesday, officials said. The Cessna 150 was traveling down the runway when it collided with the Bell 407 helicopter at a small airport in Carlisle, about 100 miles from Philadelphia, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “When I say it was a very violent crash, that plane was cut into a lot of pieces,” Lt. Col. George Bivens, the state’s acting police commissioner, said in a statement. Bivens said the helicopter lost its blades and tail boom as it crashed onto its side. Both state troopers in the helicopter are in stable condition after escaping through a broken window. “Tonight could’ve been much worse,” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said. “Tonight could’ve been much more tragic for our state police family.” The identity of the plane’s pilot has not been released. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.