SOUTH MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — One person is dead following a collision involving a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter and a small aircraft at Carlisle Airport in Cumberland County Wednesday evening.
Emergency crews were dispatched to Carlisle Airport along Petersburg Road in South Middleton Township around 6:55 p.m. Wednesday for reports of an aircraft crash.
Initial information from the scene indicates a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter and a small aircraft collided at the airport. The state police helicopter came to rest on its side following the collision.
Two people aboard the state police helicopter were being evaluated by EMS following the crash, according to initial emergency reports. One person associated with the other aircraft was reported dead at the scene.
The Cumberland County Coroner’s Office was called to the airport following the crash. Local media images from the scene showed significant damage to the state police helicopter as numerous fire, EMS and law enforcement units responded.
At least one patient was seen being loaded into a Penn State Health Life Lion medical helicopter around 7:30 p.m., according to reports from the scene. The condition of that patient was not immediately available.
No active fire was initially reported following the collision.
Carlisle Airport is a public-use airport located at 228 Petersburg Road. According to PennDOT, the airport has a single 4,008-foot asphalt runway.
The circumstances leading up to the collision have not yet been released, and authorities have not publicly identified the person who died.
Additional information, including the identities and conditions of those aboard the aircraft and the exact circumstances surrounding the collision, is expected as the investigation continues.
This is a developing story. First Source News will update this article as additional confirmed information becomes available.
