Two men tragically lost their lives after their helicopters collided midair in New Jersey. The accident occurred on Sunday, and both Kenneth Kirsch, 65, and Michael Greenberg, 71, were experienced private pilots who had earned their licenses over a decade ago. They regularly enjoyed breakfast together at a local cafe near the crash site before taking off from the Hammonton Municipal Airport, situated approximately 35 miles southeast of Philadelphia.
Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel confirmed that Kirsch, a resident of Carney's Point, was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to an area hospital, while Greenberg, from Sewell, was declared dead at the scene of the crash. Witnesses reported that the two helicopters were flying in close proximity to one another just moments before the fatal incident.
On Monday, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began examining the crash site, which revealed a debris field extending about 100 yards long, containing parts from both helicopters' main and tail rotors. Plans were in place for the helicopters to be removed for further investigation on Tuesday. The NTSB indicated that a preliminary report on the accident would be released within approximately 30 days.
Emergency responders were alerted to the aviation crash around 11:25 a.m. on Sunday. Video footage from the scene captured one helicopter spiraling rapidly toward the ground. Fire crews were later seen extinguishing flames that had engulfed one of the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) characterized the collision as involving an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C helicopter, with only the pilots on board during the flight.
According to FAA records, both Kirsch and Greenberg acquired their private pilot licenses in 2014. They frequently dined at the Apron Cafe, located next to the airport, before embarking on their flights. Restaurant owner Sal Silipino noted that the two men had just finished breakfast shortly before the crash and were known as regular patrons who brought a positive spirit to the cafe.
Silipino recounted that patrons at the cafe witnessed the helicopters take off smoothly and were visibly shocked when they saw them fall from the sky. He described their reaction as one of disbelief, recalling how one helicopter appeared to spin out of control before the second followed suit.
FAA records indicate that Kirsch was the registered owner of one of the crashed helicopters, while the other was registered to M&M Charter LLC based in Mountville, Pennsylvania. Efforts to obtain contact information for the charter company were unsuccessful at the time of the report. Witness Dan Dameshek, who was leaving a gym nearby, described hearing a loud snap followed by the alarming sight of the two helicopters spinning uncontrollably.
The town of Hammonton, which has a population of about 15,000, is located in Atlantic County in southern New Jersey. It has a rich agricultural history and is near the Pine Barrens, an expansive forested wilderness area spanning over 1 million acres. Investigators will likely scrutinize communications between the two pilots and assess whether they had visibility of one another at the time of the crash.
According to former crash investigator Alan Diehl, nearly all midair collisions can be attributed to a failure of pilots to "see and avoid" each other in flight. He noted that investigators will review any external views from the cockpits to determine if one pilot approached from a blind spot. Despite the predominantly overcast conditions at the time of the crash, light winds and good visibility were reported by AccuWeather.
