Video: Two helicopters collide midair over New Jersey, pilot killed

UPDATED: Dec 29, 2025 02:34 IST

A midair collision between two helicopters over southern New Jersey on Sunday killed one person and left another critically injured, authorities said. The incident occurred above Hammonton Municipal Airport, a small airfield in Atlantic County, at around 11:25 am (local time), according to the Associated Press.

Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said emergency crews were dispatched after reports of an aviation accident near the airport. Video from the scene showed one of the helicopters spinning rapidly before crashing to the ground.

Police and fire crews arrived to find flames engulfing one of the aircraft and worked quickly to bring the fire under control, Friel said as per local media.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the collision involved an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C helicopter. Only the pilots were on board each aircraft at the time of the crash.

Authorities confirmed that one pilot was killed at the scene. The second pilot was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Officials have not yet released the identities of the victims, pending notification of family members.

The FAA and the Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation into the crash, Friel said. Federal investigators are expected to examine flight paths, communications and other factors that may have contributed to the collision.

Alan Diehl, a former crash investigator for both the FAA and the NTSB, said investigators will likely focus early on whether the pilots were able to see one another before the collision.

"Virtually all midair collisions are a failure to what they call 'see and avoid,'" Diehl said. "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 NOT SEVERE

Weather conditions at the time of the crash did not appear to be a major factor. AccuWeather said skies were mostly cloudy, but winds were light and visibility was good in the area when the collision occurred.

Investigators are expected to review weather data alongside air traffic communications and aircraft maintenance records as part of the inquiry.

Hammonton is a town of about 15,000 residents located roughly 35 miles southeast of Philadelphia. Known for its agricultural roots, the community sits near the Pine Barrens, a vast forested region spanning more than one million acres.

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With inputs from Associated Press