1 killed, 2 state troopers injured in crash involving helicopter, small plane in Cumberland County

The small plane struck a state police helicopter during a training exercise at Carlisle Airport on Wednesday night, killing the plane’s pilot and injuring two troopers.

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  Haley O'Brien joined WITF in 2026. A native of Scranton, she enjoys exploring Pennsylvania's diverse communities. Haley previously worked at NPR/PBS stations in Northeast Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, and has won awards for video storytelling and beat reporting.

One person is dead and two members of the Pennsylvania State Police are injured following a crash between a state police helicopter and a small airplane Wednesday night in Cumberland County.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, state police and Penn State Medical officials shared details at a news conference Wednesday night at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

The injured officers have been identified as Corporal Bryce Corman and Trooper Jason Mills. The Cumberland County Coroner identified the deceased pilot of the other plane as Paul Sokoloski, 57, of Hershey.

Lt. Col. George Bivens, acting commissioner for state police, said a Cessna 150 plane crashed into the state police helicopter from behind at the Carlisle Airport just before 7 p.m.

Sokoloski was the sole occupant of the plane.

The state police helicopter, Bivens said, was conducting training exercises and hovering close to the ground in a grassy area beside the runway.

“As that Cessna came down along that runway, for an unknown reason, it veered hard to the right at the last moment,” Bivens said. “It struck the helicopter from the rear. The pilots would not have been able to even see that airplane approaching them.”

He described the crash as violent and said both state troopers were trapped inside the helicopter.

Dr. Ashley Ludwig, the trauma medical director at Penn State Hershey, said both patients are in stable condition.

Federal agencies will now begin to conduct an investigation.

“In a time when you had the state police who look out for us every day in need, the health community, healthcare community, stepped up to help them,” Shapiro said. “That’s a righteous cycle. And it is one that I hope the public appreciates.”