A routine evening in the sky over central Pennsylvania turned deadly Wednesday when a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter collided in mid-air with a small civilian airplane near Carlisle Airport, sending wreckage down near the runway and pulling the state's coroner, the FAA and federal crash investigators to the scene.

The crash happened around 7 p.m. as the State Police Bell 407 helicopter, carrying two troopers, was approaching the airport from the east just as a Cessna 150 was circling the field, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. Carlisle Airport has no control tower, meaning pilots coordinate their approaches over a shared radio frequency rather than through air traffic controllers — a detail investigators are expected to scrutinize.

Governor rushes to scene

Gov. Josh Shapiro said he was briefed on the crash almost immediately and headed straight for Cumberland County. "I've been briefed on the aircraft crash involving @PAStatePolice this evening in Carlisle and I am heading there now," Shapiro wrote, adding that he and his wife "are praying hard" for everyone involved.

"I'VE BEEN BRIEFED ON THE AIRCRAFT CRASH INVOLVING @PASTATEPOLICE THIS EVENING IN CARLISLE AND I AM HEADING THERE NOW." — GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO

Dispatchers confirmed the Cumberland County coroner was called to the airport, a strong signal that the collision claimed at least one life, though officials had not released an official casualty count as of Wednesday night. The FAA said it did not yet know how many people were aboard the Cessna at the time of the crash. Local outlets, including Fox45 Baltimore, described it flatly as a "deadly Carlisle Airport crash," citing the FAA.

Emergency crews swarmed the airfield, about 20 miles west of Harrisburg, closing the runway and surrounding roads as fire and rescue units worked the debris field. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board both opened investigations, with a preliminary report expected within roughly a day of the crash.

State Police have not yet released the names or conditions of the troopers aboard the helicopter, and officials have not identified anyone aboard the Cessna. The agency's aviation unit regularly uses the Bell 407 for patrol, search-and-rescue and medevac support work across the state, making the aircraft a familiar sight over Cumberland County's rural airstrips.

The collision adds Carlisle to a string of general-aviation scares this year involving tower-less airports, where pilots rely on see-and-avoid procedures and radio calls rather than controller-directed separation. Investigators will likely examine radio traffic, flight paths and weather conditions in the moments before impact as they try to reconstruct exactly how two aircraft ended up occupying the same patch of sky.

Both agencies said updates would follow as the wreckage is examined and next-of-kin notifications are completed.