1 Dead in Midair Involving Police Helicopter and Cessna

2 survive collision over runway in Pennsylvania.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 09:41 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A Pennsylvania State Police Bell 407 was struck by Cessna 150 flying in the pattern at a nontowered airport west of Harrisburg. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A Pennsylvania State Police helicopter and a Cessna 150 were involved in a midair collision near Carlisle Airport, resulting in one fatality and two injuries.
The accident occurred Wednesday evening when the Cessna, while in the airport pattern, struck the hovering police helicopter's rotors.
The occupants of the helicopter sustained injuries but were able to escape, while the Cessna's wreckage came down in pieces.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident at the nontowered airport.

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One person was killed and two others injured in a midair collision between a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter and a Cessna 150. The accident happened just before 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday over Carlisle A i rport (N94) west of Harrisburg.

Images of the accident released on social media show the helicopter laying on its side in the grass next to the runway. There was a massive police and fire presence with lots of vehicles and flashing lights. According to authorities the Bell 407 helicopter was approaching from the east.