Pilot killed in violent collision with Pennsylvania police helicopter

An aeroplane pilot died on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) after a violent collision with a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter near a runway at a small airport, but both state troopers aboard the helicopter survived, authorities said.

The plane was coming down on the runway and veered into the helicopter that was near the ground, Lt. Col. George Bivens, the state’s acting police commissioner, said during a news conference. The FAA and NTSB called it a midair collision but state police didn’t clarify if the plane was off the ground.

“When I say it was a very violent crash, that plane was cut into a lot of pieces,” he said, explaining that part of the investigation will be making sure the pilot was the only person on board. He said the helicopter lost its blades and tail boom and crashed onto its side.