NTSB preliminary report shares new details on deadly NJ helicopter collision

A preliminary report released by the NTSB on Tuesday found that the two helicopters were converging before the deadly collision in Hammonton, New Jersey, last month.

The crash, which occurred on Dec. 29, 2025, resulted in both helicopters falling from the sky and the deaths of both pilots.

According to the NTSB’s preliminary report, the two helicopters initially took off from the Vineland-Downstown Airport in Vineland, New Jersey, at around 9:48 a.m. that morning, and then landed at the airport in Hammonton around 10 minutes later.

After spending some time in Hammonton, the two took off again and collided a short time later at around 11:24 p.m., according to the NTSB, who stated that they recovered surveillance video of the incident.

The two helicopters were flying slightly staggered in a formation flight before they began converging toward one another, according to the NTSB.

The two helicopters converged until they made contact with each other, causing one of them to go into a tumbling descent. The other helicopter pitched up after the collision and leveled out before spinning out of control and descending rapidly as well, according to the NTSB.

The collision happened around 1.5 miles away from the Hammonton airport and left a 1,211-foot debris path, according to the NTSB.

The debris of both helicopters were found to have chipped paint from the other helicopter, including the main rotor of one of the helicopters having chipped paint from the tail rotor of the other, according to the NTSB.

The two pilots killed in the crash have been identified as Kenneth Kirsch, 65, of Carney’s Point, New Jersey, and Michael Greenberg, 71, of Sewell, New Jersey.

Sal Silipino, the owner of Apron Café, said the two were friends and frequently flew together and stopped in for a meal at his restaurant in Hammonton, including on the day of the crash.

“I was talking to the customers and we looked up and I see one spiraling,” said Silipino. “I didn’t see them collide or anything. I see the one go down and then the other one go down. And at first I was a little bit in shock. Did they just crash? Was that real what I saw? And then it was all over. We saw all the smoke. It was terrifying.”