Authorities have identified the two pilots who were killed after their helicopters collided midair Sunday near Hammonton in southern New Jersey.
The victims were Kenneth Kirsch, 65, of Carney’s Point, and Michael Greenberg, 71, of Sewell. According to officials, the two men were friends who frequently met for breakfast at a café near the Hammonton Municipal Airport, close to where the crash occurred.
Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said emergency responders were dispatched to reports of an aviation crash at approximately 11:25 a.m. Witnesses told police that the two helicopters had been flying close together shortly before the collision. The crash occurred in a farm field about 1½ miles from the airport.
Kirsch was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Greenberg died at the scene. Video footage from the area showed one helicopter spinning rapidly before crashing, while police and fire crews later extinguished flames engulfing one of the aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the crash involved an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C helicopter. Only the pilots were on board. FAA records indicate Kirsch owned one of the helicopters, while the other was registered to M&M Charter LLC of Mountville, Pennsylvania.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene Monday. Former FAA and NTSB investigator Alan Diehl said investigators will likely examine pilot communications and visibility, noting that most midair collisions involve failures to “see and avoid.” Weather conditions at the time were mostly cloudy, with light winds and good visibility, according to AccuWeather.