Two men subsequently died Their helicopters collided In the air in New Jersey over the weekend, both earned their private pilot licenses more than a decade ago, and would often have breakfast together at a café near the crash site before taking to the skies from the local airport.
Authorities on Monday identified the two New Jersey men as Kenneth Kirsch, 65, and Michael Greenberg, 71. Witnesses told police that the two helicopters they were piloting Sunday were flying close to each other before they crashed in a farm field near the airport in Hammonton, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Philadelphia.
Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said in a statement that Kirsch, of Carney Point, was pronounced dead at an area hospital after being airlifted there, while Greenberg, of Sewell, died at the scene.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board examined the accident site Monday and determined the debris field was about 100 yards (91 meters) long and contained parts of the main rotors and tail rotors, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said. The two helicopters are expected to be removed from the site on Tuesday and transferred to another location for further review.
The NTSB said a preliminary report is expected in about 30 days.
Friel said rescuers responded to a report of a plane crash at about 11:25 a.m. Sunday. A video from the scene shows a helicopter rotating rapidly on the ground. Policemen and fire crews then put out the fire that consumed one of the two helicopters.
the Federal Aviation Administration The incident was described as a mid-air collision between an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C helicopter near the Hammonton Municipal Airport. There were only two pilots on board.
Federal Aviation Administration records show that both Kirsch and Greenberg obtained their private pilot licenses in 2014. Sal Celipino, the restaurant owner, said they often stop at Apron Cafe next to the airport for breakfast before flying.
Kirsch and Greenberg had eaten at the café shortly before the accident, Clipino said. He added that the passengers saw the helicopters taking off from the airport and were stunned when the plane fell from the sky.
“It was shocking. I’m still shaking to see that happen,” Clipino said. “They were in our café having breakfast. They’re regulars. They come every week or every two weeks. They travel together. They seem to be very nice people. They were also very kind to the workers and staff and everyone.”
He added that the helicopter flights appeared to have begun without incident.
“I saw one of them fall and then I saw the other one fall and there was a little bit of disbelief. It’s like, is this really happening?” Celebino said.
FAA records show Kirsch was the registered owner of one of the helicopters, while the other was registered to M&M Charter LLC in Mountville, Pennsylvania. Contact information for M&The M charter was not immediately located Monday.
Hammonton resident Dan Damczyk He told NBC10 That he was leaving the gym when he heard a loud noise and saw two helicopters spin out of control.
“Immediately, the first helicopter flipped from the right side up and started rotating rapidly, and fell into the air,” Demashek told the TV station. “And then it looked like the second helicopter was fine for a second, and then it sounded like another shot or something…and then that helicopter started spinning really fast out of the air.”
Hammonton is a city of about 15,000 people located in Atlantic County in the southern part of New Jersey. The city has an agricultural history and is located near the Pine Barrens, a forested wilderness area covering more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares).
Alan Diehl, a former aviation accident investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said investigators will likely first look to review any communications between the pilots and whether they were able to see each other.
“Almost all mid-air collisions are a failure of what they call ‘see and avoid,’” Diehl said. “Obviously, they will look at the views from outside the cockpit of both planes and see if one of the pilots is approaching from the blind side.”
Although the weather was mostly cloudy at the time of the accident, winds were light and visibility was good, according to weather forecasting company AccuWeather.