Dr. Paul Sokoloski, a 57-year-old emergency physician, was killed after the Cessna 150 he piloted collided with a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter.

Updated on: Aug 20, 2026, 22:00:20 IST

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Dr. Paul Sokoloski, an emergency physician with Pennsylvania State Health Department, has been identified as the pilot of the small plane that collided with a Penn State Police helicopter at Carlisle airport in Pennsylvania on Wednesday evening. Sokoloski, 57, has was killed in the collision, the Cumberland County coroner confirmed to CBS 21.

Police said that the crash happened around 6:52pm EDT at the Carlisle Regional Airport. Two others were injured in the accident. State Police Acting Commissioner Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens said that the police chopper was engaged in a routine training exercise when it was struck from behind by the Cessna 150. He added that helicopter was “several feet off the ground” when it was hit.

“The pilots would not have been able to even see that airplane approaching them,” Bivens added.

While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigates Wednesday evening's crash, grief has hit the family of Dr. Paul Sokoloski and the broader Penn State Health community.

Who Was Dr. Paul Sokoloski?

According to the website of Penn State Health, Dr. Paul Sokoloski was an emergency physician working for several years with the department. Sokoloski's LinkedIn page discloses that he previously worked at the Western Maryland Health System. Furthermore, Dr. Sokoloski was also associated with the WPA Emergency Medicine Staffing as well as the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.

The fact that Dr. Sokoloski was flying the Cessna 150 has raised some eyebrows, given he was an emergency physician. However, answer to those questions can be found on his LinkedIn page, which states that Dr. Sokoloski has a commercial pilot license and is a certified flight instructor.

Sokolosski was from Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Cessna 150 was registered to his home address, CNN reported.

He was the only pilot aboard the Cessna when it collided with the police chopper. The chopper, meanwhile, had two people on board.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro Reacts

Josh Shapiro, the Governor of Pennsylvania, reacted to the crash in social media late on Wednesday evening. Gov. Shapiro had said that he had been briefed on the crash and he was on his way to the site.

"I just left Penn State Hershey Medical Center, where PA State Police Lt. Colonel Bivens and I spent time with State Police Corporal Pilot Bryce Corman, Trooper Pilot Jason Mills, and their families following a fatal aircraft collision in Carlisle involving a PSP helicopter and a Cessna 150," Shapiro said in a follow-up.

"Lori and I join Pennsylvanians tonight in praying for the family of the Cessna 150 pilot who was killed, as well as Corporal Corman, Trooper Mills, and their loved ones as they begin to recover."

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