Tragic Helicopter Collision in Hammonton, New Jersey
In a tragic incident on Sunday, two helicopters collided midair over Hammonton, New Jersey, resulting in one fatality and leaving another individual critically injured, according to local authorities.
The Hammonton Police Department, led by Chief Kevin Friel, responded to the crash site around 11:25 a.m. Witnesses captured video footage showing one of the helicopters spiraling rapidly to the ground, after which emergency services extinguished the flames engulfing the wreckage.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the collision occurred between an Enstrom F-28A and an Enstrom 280C helicopter near Hammonton Municipal Airport. Each aircraft was occupied solely by its pilot. One pilot succumbed to injuries, while the other was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.
Sal Silipino, who owns a nearby café, reported that the helicopter pilots were frequent visitors to his establishment, often having breakfast together before flying. He and other patrons watched as the helicopters took off, only to witness one spiraling downward, followed by the other.
“It was shocking,” Silipino expressed. “I’m still shaking after that happened.”
Another eyewitness, Dan Dameshek, recounted to NBC10 his experience of hearing a loud noise and seeing the aircraft spinning uncontrollably. “Immediately, the first helicopter went from right side up to upside down and started rapidly spinning, falling out of the air,” Dameshek said. He described how the second helicopter appeared stable momentarily before also losing control.
Hammonton, a community of approximately 15,000 residents, is located in New Jersey’s Atlantic County, about 35 miles southeast of Philadelphia. Known for its agricultural heritage, the town is situated near the Pine Barrens, a vast forested area spanning over 1 million acres.
In the wake of the crash, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are set to conduct a thorough investigation. According to Alan Diehl, a former crash investigator for the FAA and NTSB, investigators will begin by examining any pilot communications and determining whether they had visual contact with each other.
“Virtually all midair collisions are a failure to what they call ‘see and avoid,’” Diehl explained. “Clearly they’ll be looking at the out-of-cockpit views of the two aircraft and seeing if one pilot was approaching from the blind side.”
Weather conditions at the time were mostly cloudy, but with light winds and good visibility, as reported by AccuWeather.
