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Paul Sokoloski killed in midair collision between private plane and state police helicopter in Pennsylvania

Dr. Paul Sokoloski, a 57-year-old emergency room physician and experienced pilot, was killed in a midair collision at Carlisle Regional Airport on Wednesday evening. The crash occurred at approximately 6:52 p.m. when Sokoloski's two-seater Cessna 150 plane veered sharply to the right and struck a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter from the rear. The collision was described as a very violent crash, with the plane hitting the helicopter's tail rotor and then the main rotor. Two state police pilots, Bryce Corman and Jason Mills, were injured in the helicopter but managed to escape the wreckage. Corman was able to push out a window to assist Mills, who suffered more serious injuries. The incident occurred while the helicopter crew was conducting routine training exercises. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are leading the investigation into the cause of the collision. The crash has drawn attention to the airspace shared between helicopters and and planes, particularly in the absence of a control tower at the small airport.

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