Two helicopters collided midair Sunday near Hammonton Municipal Airport in southern New Jersey, killing both pilots, authorities said Monday. Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel identified the victims as Kenneth Kirsch, 65, of Carney’s Point, and Michael Greenberg, 71, of Sewell, with Friel saying Kirsch was pronounced dead at an area hospital after being flown there and Greenberg died at the crash site.
The incident occurred in a farm field near the airport in Hammonton, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Philadelphia, according to police and federal aviation authorities. The Federal Aviation Administration described the crash as a midair collision between an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C helicopter, and said only the pilots were on board.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were examining the accident site on Monday. An NTSB spokesperson said investigators determined the debris field is about 100 yards (91 meters) long and includes parts of the main rotors and tail rotors, and that both helicopters are expected to be removed from the site Tuesday for additional review.
Friel said rescuers responded to a report of an aviation crash at about 11:25 a.m. Sunday. Video from the scene, according to the account provided to police and officials, showed a helicopter spinning rapidly as it fell to the ground, and crews later extinguished flames that engulfed one of the helicopters.
Local residents described sudden, chaotic movements in the air before the crash. Hammonton resident Dan Dameshek told NBC10 that he was leaving a gym when he heard a loud snap and saw two helicopters spinning out of control, saying the first helicopter flipped from right-side up to upside down and then the second helicopter appeared to be OK briefly before spinning as well.
Public records cited by officials showed Kirsch and Greenberg each earned their private pilot licenses in 2014. The two men were described as regulars at the Apron Cafe next to the airport, where restaurant owner Sal Silipino said they frequently had breakfast together before taking to the skies.
Silipino said the pair were at his café shortly before the crash, and that patrons watched the helicopters take off and were stunned when the aircraft fell from the sky. “It was shocking. Still shaking to see that happen,” Silipino said. “They were just at our café having breakfast. They’re regulars. They come in every week or every other week. They fly in together. They seem to be very nice people. They were also very kind to the workers and staff and all.”
Silipino said the pilots’ flights appeared to begin without incident and that he saw one helicopter go down and then the other. “I saw one go down and then I saw the other one go down and there was little bit of disbelief. It’s like, is that really happening?,” he said.
Federal aviation records also indicated ownership differences between the helicopters involved. Kirsch was listed as the registered owner of one aircraft, while the other was registered to M&M Charter LLC of Mountville, Pennsylvania; contact information for M&M Charter was not immediately found Monday.
As the investigation continued, experts said investigators will likely review communications between the two pilots and whether they could see each other in time. Alan Diehl, a former crash investigator for the FAA and NTSB, said “Virtually all midair collisions are a failure to what they call ‘see and avoid,’” adding that investigators will examine out-of-cockpit views to determine whether one pilot was approaching from a blind side.
Officials also said weather at the time included mostly cloudy skies with light winds and good visibility, according to AccuWeather. A preliminary report is expected in about 30 days, the NTSB said.