The second pilot involved in a midair collision between two helicopters in southern New Jersey has died, police said Monday, bringing the death toll to two.
The pilots were identified as 65-year-old Kenneth L. Kirsch of Carney’s Point, who was operating an Enstrom F-28A helicopter, and 71-year-old Michael Greenberg of Sewell, who was flying an Enstrom 280C, according to Hammonton police.
The helicopters had just departed from Hammonton Municipal Airport when they collided around 11:25 a.m. Sunday, authorities said. Witnesses reported the aircraft flying close together shortly before the crash, officials said.
Both helicopters came down in a field and tree line in the 100 block of Basin Road, about a mile and a half from the airport, authorities said. One of the helicopters caught fire and volunteer firefighters extinguished the flames, police said.
Residents helped pull Kirsch from the wreckage, officials said. He was flown to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he was later pronounced dead, police said. Greenberg was pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash and said the cause remains under review.
