1 killed, another injured after 2 helicopters collide and crash in Hammonton

One pilot was killed and another pilot was critically injured after their helicopters collided and crashed in Hammonton in Atlantic County, New Jersey, on Sunday.

The collision, which occurred at around 11:25 a.m., caused both helicopters to crash near the 100 block of Basin Road, which is not far from the Hammonton Municipal Airport.

“It was probably just a moment or two after their flight started that they collided,” said Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel.

Both helicopters each had a pilot and no passengers, and no one on the ground was injured from the crash, officials said.

Hammonton resident Dan Dameshek shared video with NBC10 that showed one of the helicopters falling from the sky, causing smoke to billow above the town.

Dameshek said that he was coming back from the gym when he heard a loud snap and then looked up to see the two helicopters spinning out of control.

“Immediately, the first helicopter went from right side up to upside down and started rapidly spinning, falling out of the air,” Dameshek said. “And then it looked like the second helicopter was okay for a second, and then it sounded like another snap or something… and then that helicopter started rapidly spinning out of the air.”

SkyForce10 was also over the scene to find both helicopters crashed in a field, with one of the two helicopters appearing to have suffered major burn damage after becoming engulfed in flames.

Another witness, Caitlyn Collins, was one of the first people to respond to the scene after the crash, which occurred in her backyard. She told NBC10 she held the hand of the pilot who survived the crash.

“I just held his hand and said, ‘Everything is going to be OK. Everyone is coming for you. We all know you’re here. You’re safe here. The sirens are for you. They’re on their way. You just got to stay,'” Collins said.

Collins said she had no idea at the time that there was a second pilot in a different helicopter who was killed.

Although officials have not released the names of the two pilots, the owner of the cafe at the airport’s hangar said the two were regulars who would often stop in after flying together.

“I was talking to the customers and we looked up and I see one spiraling,” said Sal Silipino, the owner of Apron Cafe. “I didn’t see them collide or anything. I see the one go down and then the other one go down. And at first I was a little bit in shock. Did they just crash? Was that real what I saw? And then it was all over. We saw all the smoke. It was terrifying.”

Friel also said the two pilots appeared to be friends who were known to fly to Hammonton together, eat a meal and then fly home.

“Reports were that they were flying in tandem, that they were flying close together,” Friel said. “Which is probably what caused the collision to occur.”

Friel also stressed that the investigation into the cause of the crash would be led by the NTSB, with the assistance of the FAA, and not his department.

This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.

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