Pilot best friends die after their helicopters collided in mid-air just after they'd eaten breakfast together at local cafe
Kenneth Kirsch and Michael Greenberg were spotted having one last meal at the Apron Cafe before the pair's midair collision was captured on horrifying video.
A pair of pilots who died after their helicopters collided in New Jersey were friends and shared breakfast one last time at a cafe they would often visit before takeoffs.
Kenneth Kirsch, 65, and Michael Greenberg, 71, were identified on Monday as the pilots involved in the fatal crash in Hammonton that took place on Sunday around 11.30am.
Witnesses said the Enstrom 280C flown by Greenberg and the Enstrom F-28A flown by Kirsch were flying close together just before they collided, sending one chopper into a tree line in the 100 block of Basin Road and the other into a field near the Hammonton Municipal Airport.
Kirsch was airlifted to a hospital in Camden, where he succumbed to his injuries today, while Greenberg was pronounced dead on the scene, according to a press release by the Hammonton Police Department.
Shortly before the crash, the pair were spotted having breakfast at the Apron Cafe, said the owner, Sal Silipino, to WTXF.
Kirsch and Greenberg would often stop by the cafe, which is located in the airport, before their takeoffs.
Silipino watched the helicopters leave the airport and was horrified when the aircrafts spiraled down.
'It was shocking. Still shaking to see that happen,' Silipino told the outlet. 'They were just at our café having breakfast.'
Kenneth Kirsch, 65, and Michael Greenberg, 71, shared a final meal together at the Apron Cafe before they fatally crashed while flying helicopters
Witnesses say they saw the choppers flying close together before they crashed
'They're regulars. They come in every week or every other week. They fly in together. They seem to be very nice people. They were also very kind to the workers and staff and all.'
The pilot's friendship was reiterated by the Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel, who told the News Channel: 'They apparently are friends, fly into the airport, have a meal together at the café, and were leaving together. Friends.'
Both men received their private pilot licenses in 2014, according to FAA records.
Eyewitness footage captured a helicopter spinning out of control before slamming into the ground.
Another video posted on social media from a nearby Tractor Supply parking lot shows thick black smoke rising over the crash site.
Hammonton resident Dan Dameshek told NBC10 that as he was leaving a gym, he heard a loud snap and saw two helicopters out of control: 'Immediately, the first helicopter went from right side up to upside down and started rapidly spinning, falling out of the air.'