By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A Cessna piloted by Dr. Paul Sokoloski collided with a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter near a runway in Carlisle on Aug. 19, killing Sokoloski.
- Newly released video shows the plane veering sharply into the hovering helicopter as it approached to land.
- Two troopers piloting the helicopter, Cpl. Bryce J. Corman and Trooper Jason Mills, were seriously injured but have since been released from the hospital.
- The NTSB’s preliminary report found no evidence of pre-impact mechanical failure in either aircraft.
- The investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing; officials said the pilots were in radio contact before the crash, but the helicopter crew could not see the plane approaching due to their position.
CARLISLE, Pa. — Newly released video shows the moment a small aircraft collided with a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter near a runway in Carlisle last month, killing the plane’s pilot and seriously injuring two troopers, according to WHTM.
The Aug. 19 crash occurred as the plane descended toward the runway. Video obtained by PennLive shows the helicopter hovering a few feet above the ground before the approaching plane veered sharply and struck it.
Dr. Paul Sokoloski, who was piloting the Cessna, was killed in the collision. He had been performing training exercises in the aircraft prior to the crash, according to WHTM.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the two pilots were in communication with each other before the crash but that the helicopter crew was unable to see the plane approaching due to their position and orientation. The agency’s initial report found no evidence of pre-impact mechanical failure in either aircraft, according to PennLive.
The helicopter pilots, Cpl. Bryce J. Corman and Trooper Jason Mills, have since been discharged from the hospital. The investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing.