Helicopters Flew Close Together Before Colliding In Deadly NJ Crash, NTSB Says

HAMMONTON, NJ — Two helicopters were flying closely to one another and began to converge shortly before the collision that killed two pilots, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The two pilots, Kenneth Kirsch, 65, and Michael Greenberg, 71, were friends who both lived in New Jersey and would often have breakfast together at a cafe near the crash site in Hammonton, according to officials.

Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said in a statement that Kirsch, of Carney’s Point, was pronounced dead at an area hospital after being flown there, while Greenberg, of Sewell, died at the crash site.

Surveillance video captured both helicopters as they flew in close proximity to each other
shortly before the accident, according to the NTSB.

"The helicopters were slightly staggered from one another and flying on a similar heading, similar to a formation flight," the report reads. "As the flight continued, the helicopters converged until they contacted each other."

One tumbled downwards and out of the video frame. The other helicopter pitched up sharply before leveling out. Shortly after, the helicopter began yawing (moving side-to-side) in a clockwise direction and descended rapidly until it too exited the video frame.

The Enstrom F-28A and an Enstrom 280C crashed in mid-air at 11:24 a.m.

The accident site was located about 1.5 miles southwest of the Hammonton Municipal Airport and was comprised of a debris path that was about 1,211 feet long. The first identified debris along the path included several paint chips consistent with the paint color of both helicopters. Further along the debris path were portions of the main rotor blades of both helicopters, as well as portions of the tail cone and tail rotor blades of one of the helicopters.

Video from the scene shows a helicopter spinning rapidly to the ground. Police and fire crews subsequently extinguished flames that engulfed one of the helicopters.

Sal Silipino, owner of a cafe near the crash site, said the pilots were regulars at the restaurant and would often have breakfast together. He said he and other customers watched the helicopters take off before one began spiraling downward, followed by the other.

“It was shocking,” he said. “I’m still shaking after that happened.”

Hammonton resident Dan Dameshek told NBC10 that he was leaving a gym when he heard a loud snap and saw two helicopters spinning out of control.

“Immediately, the first helicopter went from right side up to upside down and started rapidly spinning, falling out of the air,” Dameshek told the TV station. “And then it looked like the second helicopter was OK for a second, and then it sounded like another snap or something ... and then that helicopter started rapidly spinning out of the air.”

The Associated Press and Patch Editor Anna Schier contributed to this story.