Accident Overview
On December 28, 2025, at 1124 eastern standard time, an Enstrom F-28A helicopter, registration N520H, and an Enstrom 280C helicopter, registration N280MG, collided in midair near Hammonton, New Jersey. Both helicopters were being operated as personal flights under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilots onboard each helicopter sustained fatal injuries.
Flight Path and Observations
According to preliminary ADS-B data from the Federal Aviation Administration, both helicopters departed from Vineland-Downstown Airport (28N) in Vineland, New Jersey, at about 0948. They flew parallel paths to Hammonton Municipal Airport (N81), arriving at about 0958. No ADS-B data captured their subsequent departure from N81 on the accident flight.
Surveillance video showed the helicopters flying in close proximity shortly before the accident. They were slightly staggered from one another and flying on a similar heading, similar to a formation flight. As the flight continued, the helicopters converged until they contacted each other. Subsequently, one helicopter began a tumbling descent toward terrain before exiting the video frame. The other helicopter pitched up sharply, then leveled out, before yawing clockwise and descending rapidly out of view.
Wreckage Examination
The accident site was located about 1.5 miles southwest of N81, with a debris path approximately 1,211 feet long. The first identified debris included paint chips consistent with both helicopters' colors. Further along were portions of both main rotor blades, as well as parts of the tail cone and tail rotor blades of N280MG.
The primary wreckage of N520H was about 890 feet from the start of the debris path. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, tail cone, tail rotor, and main rotor. The aft portion of the tail cone partially separated; only one tail rotor control cable remained attached, and the other exhibited tensile overload signatures. No signs of fire were present. Portions of main rotor skin, plexiglass, and a tail rotor drive shaft were found along the debris path. Ground signatures on the left side indicated main rotor strikes.
The primary wreckage of N280MG was about 270 feet from that of N520H. The helicopter was destroyed by a postimpact fire, consuming most of the fuselage and main rotor system. The tail cone remained relatively intact with terrain impact damage, and its aft portion showed damage consistent with in-flight impact. Debris included portions of one main rotor blade, the tail rotor, and the tail cone.
Further examination of N520H's main rotor skins revealed an impact mark with paint transfer consistent with the tail rotor blade of N280MG. The wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.