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NJ helicopter crash: Video shows chopper in free fall moments after midair collision
One person is dead and another is critically injured after two helicopters collided in midair Sunday in Hammonton, New Jersey.
HAMMONTON, N.J. - Dramatic video shows a helicopter spiraling to the ground moments after a midair collision with another helicopter Sunday in Hammonton, New Jersey.
What we know:
One pilot is dead and another was badly injured after the Sunday morning crash that happened just after the choppers launched from Hammonton Municipal Airport.
Dramatic video captured the moment one of the helicopters began spinning out of control seconds after the midair collision before slamming into the ground.
Investigators believe one of the helicopters burst into flames after crashing on the 100 block of Basin Road, a mile away from the airport.
2 helicopters crash in NJ; 1 dead, 1 critically injured
One person is dead and another is fighting for his life after two helicopters collided mid-air and crashed moments after taking off from Hammonton Municipal Airport late Sunday morning, authorities said.
"As the crash ensued, one of the helicopters actually burst into flames," Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel told FOX 29.
"Luckily, there were not any industrial or commercial buildings or populated areas" nearby.
The two pilots were the only passengers aboard the helicopters.
What we don't know:
Neither pilot has been pubically identified as of this writing.
The cause of the midair collision remains under investigation.
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2 helicopters crash in NJ; one dead, one critically injured
One person was killed and another was critically injured after two helicopters crashed late Sunday morning in Hammonton. The Hammonton Police Department says officers received a call around 11:25 a.m. reporting an aviation crash involving two helicopters near the 100 block of Basin Road, in the area of White Horse Pike and Route 206.
Witnesses described terrifying moments
What they're saying:
Several witnesses described watching the helicopters go down in disbelief.
"It was shocking. Still shaking — still shaking a little bit that happened," Sal Silipino, owner of the Apron Café, which overlooks the Hammonton Municipal Airport runway told FOX 29.
Silipino said he watched both aircrafts fall from the sky.
"We looked up, and I saw the one spiraling down. I didn’t see him hit," he said. "Then I saw the other one go down. It was disbelief — like, is that really happening?"
Silipino also shared a chilling detail: the two pilots had breakfast together at his restaurant just before taking off.
"They were just at our café having breakfast. They’re regulars — they come in every week or every other week," Silipino said. "They fly in together. They seemed to be very nice people — very kind to all the workers and staff."
Pilots were friends, often flew together
According to police and flight records, both pilots were experienced and routinely flew in the area. Chief Friel said preliminary reports indicate the helicopters may have been flying close together when the collision occurred.
"Reports were that they were flying in tandem — that they were flying close together, which is probably what caused the collision to occur," Friel said, adding that his department is not investigating the aviation aspects of the crash.
Friel also noted that the pilots were friends and had flown together before.
"It’s not a very normal thing," he said. "It has been noted that the pilots had done that in the past. They apparently are friends, fly into the airport, have a meal together at the café and were leaving together. Friends."