Tragic Helicopter Collision in New Jersey
A second pilot has died following a mid-air accident involving two helicopters in Southern New Jersey this past Sunday. The crash resulted in one immediate fatality and left another seriously injured.
Local authorities have since confirmed the identities of both pilots involved. Kenneth Kirsch, aged 65, from Carneys Point, was the pilot of the Engstrom F-28A helicopter. He was transported to a hospital after the accident but succumbed to his injuries the following day. The other pilot, Michael Greenberg, 71, from Sewell, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Both men were experienced pilots and friends who frequently flew together. They also often dined at a café close to the site of the crash in Hammonton. The incident is currently being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as a tragic accident.
The crash occurred around 11:25 a.m. near Hammonton Municipal Airport, with both helicopters going down in a field along Basin Road. Reports indicate that one of the helicopters caught fire on impact.
“The collision likely happened just a moment or two after takeoff,” stated Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel.
Firefighters arrived soon after the incident, quickly extinguishing the flames and managing the scene. Remarkably, local residents also came to assist, helping to pull the pilot from the second helicopter, which had landed in nearby trees.
Sal Siripino, who owns the café where the pilots often met, witnessed the helicopters take off. He described seeing one helicopter suddenly descend, followed by the other.
“I was chatting with a customer when I looked up and saw a spiral,” Siripino recounted. “At first, I was in disbelief—is that really what I was seeing? Then, the smoke started, and it was very frightening.”
Another resident, Dan Dameshek, shared his experience of hearing what resembled thunder while leaving the gym. He saw the two helicopters spiraling out of control above him.
“The first helicopter flipped over, spun rapidly, and then just fell,” Dameshek explained. “The other one seemed fine for a moment, but then I heard a snap, and it too began to spin wildly.”
Caitlin Collins, living nearby, was among the first to arrive at the scene. She immediately rushed to help, holding the hand of Kirsch and reassuring him.
“I just held his hand and said, ‘Everything’s going to be okay. Help is on the way,’” Collins recalled.
According to the FAA, only the pilots were on board at the time of the incident.
“Both aircraft had a single pilot on board,” the FAA noted, adding that investigations would be led by the NTSB.
Alan Diehl, a former FAA accident investigator, explained that investigators typically assess the communications between pilots and whether they could see each other in the air.
“Most mid-air collisions stem from a failure in what’s known as ‘see and avoid,'” he stated. “They will definitely check the pilots’ visibility from the cockpit to see if one approached from a blind spot.”
As for the weather, forecasters indicated that conditions were mostly cloudy with light winds and good visibility at the time of the collision—there were no significant weather issues reported that would have hindered the pilots’ abilities to see or control their helicopters.
