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Pilot killed in midair collision with Pennsylvania State Police helicopter during training exercise

A Cessna 150 attempting to land veered off the runway and struck a helicopter conducting a training exercise, killing the pilot and injuring two troopers.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 2:16 p.m. ET
A pilot was killed and troopers were injured when a collided with a helicopter during a training exercise on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, according to NBC Philadelphia. The incident occurred at near , Pennsylvania. The Cessna was attempting to land when it veered off the north side of the runway and struck the rear of the helicopter, which was conducting a training exercise off the runway. The pilot was identified as Paul Sokoloski, 57, of Hershey. Both troopers were hospitalized and expected to survive; one had been released, the second was still being treated. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The NTSB will focus on the pilot, the aircraft involved, and the operating environment. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. The cause of the accident has not been determined. Registry records list the as operating nine aircraft, including one . The aircraft involved has not been identified.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
479 ft
Nearest aerodrome
1.2 miles NW of Carlisle Airport (KN94)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 18:16current

    First published.

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