In a tragic aviation accident in New Jersey, two helicopters collided midair above Hammonton Municipal Airport, resulting in one fatality and serious injuries to another individual. Authorities were alerted to the accident at approximately 11:25 a.m. on Sunday, prompting immediate response from local police and fire units.
Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel confirmed that when emergency teams arrived, they found one helicopter engulfed in flames, which they were able to successfully extinguish. Both aircraft involved were identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as an Enstrom F-28A and an Enstrom 280C helicopter. Importantly, only the pilots were aboard each helicopter at the time.
The specific details of the crash—a midair collision—were confirmed by the FAA. Following the incident, one individual succumbed to injuries while the other was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Visual records from the scene showed one helicopter rapidly spinning downward before impact.
Hammonton, situated in Atlantic County, is a municipality with roughly 15,000 residents. The town lies in southern New Jersey, about 35 miles southeast of Philadelphia, and is well-known for its agricultural background. It is also adjacent to the Pine Barrens, a vast forested area covering over one million acres.
Investigative responsibility has been assigned to both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, who have been formally notified in order to conduct a thorough examination of the crash circumstances.