Authorities have named the two pilots who lost their lives in a tragic mid-air collision involving helicopters in southern New Jersey on Sunday. Kenneth Kirsch, aged 65, and Michael Greenberg, aged 71, were close friends residing in New Jersey and frequently shared breakfast at a nearby cafe close to the crash site in Hammonton, approximately 56 kilometers southeast of Philadelphia.
Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel confirmed that Kirsch succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital, having been airlifted there, while Greenberg tragically passed away at the scene of the collision. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the incident involved an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C helicopter colliding mid-air above Hammonton Municipal Airport, with only the pilots on board each aircraft.
Sal Silipino, the cafe owner near the crash site, disclosed that the pilots were regular patrons at his establishment. He recounted how he and other patrons witnessed the helicopters taking off, with one descending rapidly followed by the other, leaving him deeply shocked and visibly shaken by the events.
Hammonton, a town with approximately 15,000 residents situated in Atlantic County in southern New Jersey, boasts a rich agricultural heritage and lies in close proximity to the expansive Pine Barrens, a sprawling forested area covering over 405,000 hectares.
Chief Friel stated that both the FAA and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been informed and will be conducting a thorough investigation into the crash. Experts anticipate that investigators will focus on analyzing any communication exchanges between the pilots and assessing their visual perspectives to determine if they were aware of each other’s presence.
Former FAA and NTSB crash investigator Alan Diehl highlighted that most mid-air collisions result from a failure to observe and evade other aircraft. He emphasized the importance of scrutinizing the external views from the aircraft to ascertain if one pilot was approaching from an unseen angle.
Despite cloudy conditions at the time of the accident, AccuWeather reported light winds and good visibility, providing favorable weather conditions.