Pilot Killed, 2 Troopers Hurt in Plane-Helicopter Crash at Carlisle Airport

A pilot was killed and two Pennsylvania state troopers were injured on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, after a small plane collided with a police helicopter during a training exercise at Carlisle Regional Airport in Cumberland County. The violent crash occurred at approximately 6:52 p.m. as a two-seat Cessna 150 was approaching the airport's single runway.

According to Pennsylvania State Police Acting Commissioner Lt. Col. George Bivens, the helicopter, a Bell 407, was hovering several feet above a grassy area adjacent to the runway when the Cessna, coming in for a landing, veered to the right for an unknown reason and struck it from behind. "The pilots would not have been able to even see that airplane approaching them," Bivens said at a news conference. He described the impact as "very violent," noting the Cessna was cut into many pieces and the helicopter lost its blades and tail boom before crashing onto its side.

The two state troopers aboard the helicopter, identified as Corporal Bryce Corman and Trooper Jason Mills, were initially trapped inside the wreckage. Corman managed to push out a window and then assisted Mills in escaping. Both were transported to Penn State Health...