Two long-time pilots who regularly shared breakfast before taking to the skies were killed Sunday when their helicopters collided midair near a small southern New Jersey airport, roughly 35 miles southeast of Philadelphia. Authorities identified the pilots as 65-year-old Kenneth Kirsch of Carney’s Point and 71-year-old Michael Greenberg of Sewell.
Both men were flying separate helicopters, an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C, when the two aircraft reportedly struck each other near Hammonton Municipal Airport. Witnesses told police the helicopters appeared to be flying close together moments before the collision.
At around 11:25 a.m., emergency crews were called to the scene, according to Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel. The crash was captured on camera, showing one of the helicopters spinning out of control during its descent. One of the helicopters, which landed in a farm field, was on fire, and emergency responders had to extinguish the flames upon arrival.
Officials pronounced Greenberg dead at the scene and airlifted Kirsch to a nearby hospital, according to Friel. However, he succumbed to his injuries. There was no one else aboard the helicopters. By Monday morning, the scene had been processed by detectives of the National Transportation Safety Board. Officials confirmed that the wreckage was stretched across the field, with debris scattering as far as 100 yards.
A spokesperson said the debris included pieces of the helicopters’ main and tail rotors. The investigation on the aircraft will continue on Tuesday when the wrecked helicopters have been transported to a different site. The cause of the crash may not be revealed for now, as the preliminary report is expected within the next 30 days, per the NTSB.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, both Kirsch and Greenberg have been private pilots since 2014. They had a routine of stopping by the Apron Cafe located next to the airport, for breakfast before flying. The owner of the eatery, Sal Silipino, described them as “very nice people, who were kind to everyone. He recalled that they came that Sunday morning. He said he would see them every week or every other week.
According to Silipino, the patrons were watching when the helicopters departed the airport. He said the helicopters seemed like they were flying fine when they lifted off, but the scene switched from normal to disaster when they began to fall from the sky. Everyone was in disbelief as they watched the aircraft plummet to the ground.
One of the residents became aware of the incident when they heard a loud snap just as they were leaving a gym in the area. When the person looked up, they saw one of the helicopters flip over and begin spinning. Shortly after, the other helicopter, which initially seemed fine, began spinning out of control as it descended.
According to FAA records, Kirsch owned one of the helicopters, but the other was registered to M&M Charter LLC of Mountville, Pennsylvania.