FLYING Magazine
The pilots of the Cessna 150 and the state patrol Bell 407 helicopter that collided in flight near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, were in radio contact prior to the accident, according to the preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board. The accident occurred August 19 over Carlisle Airport (N94) west of Harrisburg.
According to the NTSB report released Thursday, a witness stated he heard the airport Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) communications between the helicopter flight crew and the airplane pilot. FlightAware shows the Cessna had come from Harrisburg and was flying laps in the pattern for Runway 28.
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One of the helicopter pilots told the airplane pilot to extend his downwind. The airplane pilot acknowledged the communication. Extending the downwind created more space between the two aircraft.
The helicopter landed ahead of the airplane then entered a hover taxi about 1,800 feet down the 4,008-foot-long runway before exiting the paved surface to right and entering a hover taxi over a grass-covered field. The helicopter had its nose pointed to the west as it hovered off the right side of Runway 28.
The accident happened just before 7 p.m. EDT. Sunset that day was at 7:50 p.m.
Video of the collision was captured by multiple security cameras. It shows the Cessna on low approach to Runway 28, then the wings rock, and the aircraft pitches up as it rolls to the right and directly into the tail rotor and then the main rotor of the helicopter. The helicopter hit the ground on its side but was primarily intact. Both occupants were injured but survived.
The pilot was the only occupant of the Cessna. He was killed instantly as the airplane was chopped into four major sections—the engine compartment, wings, empennage, and lower fuselage. The airplane wreckage was spread over a distance of about 250 feet along a magnetic heading of about 330 degrees.
NTSB investigators noted additional parts of the airplane were “significantly fragmented and spread throughout the area in a fanlike pattern.”
The agency’s preliminary investigation did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. It was noted that the flap actuators were in the retracted position, and it was determined that the airplane never touched the runway.
The wreckage of both aircraft, along with avionics capable of recording digital data, were recovered and retained for further examination.
The NTSB’s final report is likely 12-24 months out.