Investigators say an Enstrom F-28A and an Enstrom 280C struck each other shortly before noon Sunday.
HAMMONTON, NJ — One pilot was killed and another was critically injured Sunday after two small helicopters collided in midair over fields near Hammonton Municipal Airport around 11:25 a.m., police said. Both aircraft crashed to the ground; one burned before firefighters put out the flames.
Authorities said the collision involved an Enstrom F-28A and an Enstrom 280C, each with a single pilot on board. No passengers were reported. The Federal Aviation Administration is gathering preliminary information and the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. The crash drew local and state responders to an area near Basin Road and North White Horse Pike in Atlantic County, about 30 miles southeast of Philadelphia. The incident halted traffic on nearby roads for hours and prompted warnings for residents to avoid the scene as crews worked to secure wreckage and preserve evidence.
Police Chief Kevin Friel said officers and firefighters arrived within minutes of the first 911 calls reporting a midair collision and a helicopter spinning toward the ground. Witnesses described a sharp noise followed by one helicopter dropping rapidly while the second descended moments later. Video recorded from a distance shows a helicopter rotating before impact and a column of smoke rising from a field north of the airport. First responders extinguished a fire that engulfed one airframe and treated the surviving pilot, who was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, Friel said. The identity of the deceased pilot has not been released pending family notification.
The FAA said both helicopters are piston-powered Enstrom models commonly used for training and utility flights. Officials did not say whether the aircraft had departed from Hammonton Municipal Airport or were entering its traffic pattern when they made contact. Meteorological conditions late Sunday morning were described as mostly cloudy with good visibility. Investigators did not immediately detail the altitude of the collision, the direction of travel, or whether the pilots were in radio contact. No homes or vehicles on the ground were struck, and no other injuries were reported. Crews established a perimeter around two debris fields separated by open ground and marked components for collection.
Records show Hammonton Municipal Airport handles general aviation traffic and helicopter activity in a corridor between Philadelphia and Atlantic City. Midair collisions in visual conditions are most often linked to breakdowns in see-and-avoid practices inside uncontrolled airspace, according to safety studies, though officials cautioned it is too early to identify a cause. Enstrom F-28 and 280-series helicopters have long service histories; investigators will examine maintenance logs, recent flight activity, and pilot qualifications as part of routine protocol. Neighbors said the sound of helicopters is common on weekends, with training flights sometimes circling north of Route 30 when weather allows.
Hammonton police said the FAA’s preliminary report is expected within days, followed by an on-scene update from NTSB once wreckage is documented and moved to a secure facility. Investigators will map the sites, analyze impact and blade damage, and review video, radar and any handheld GPS devices that might show flight paths. Officials will also interview witnesses and first responders. The Atlantic County medical examiner will identify the victim and determine cause of death. Authorities did not indicate when roads around Basin Road and North White Horse Pike would fully reopen but said detours would remain until the scene is cleared.
As dusk fell, scorched grass and scattered composite fragments remained cordoned off by police tape while crews loaded larger pieces onto flatbeds. A small crowd watched from the edge of a farm road as firefighters coiled hoses and investigators took measurements in the field. “It was a terrible sound—then silence,” said Dan Dameshek, who lives nearby and saw smoke rising above the tree line. At a café along White Horse Pike, customers traded accounts of the helicopters seen moments before the crash. Town officials called the loss devastating for a community where many know local aviators by name.
As of late Sunday, authorities said one pilot had died at the scene and the other remained hospitalized in critical condition. The investigation is in its first hours, and officials said more details would be released after next of kin are notified and initial findings are reviewed. A preliminary NTSB update is expected this week, with a fuller factual report in the coming months.
Author note: Last updated December 28, 2025.