A small plane and a police helicopter collided midair Wednesday in southern Pennsylvania, killing the Cessna's pilot and injuring two state troopers.

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A small plane and a police helicopter collided midair Wednesday evening in southern Pennsylvania, killing the Cessna's pilot and injuring two state troopers, officials said.

The collision between the Cessna 150 airplane and the Bell 407 helicopter occurred at about 7:50 p.m. EDT near Carlisle, Pa., located about 190 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, according to a Federal Aviation Administration statement.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, visited the two injured state troopers, identified as Cpl. pilot Bryce Corman and pilot Jason Mills, at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and told reporters afterward at a press conference that they "were going to be okay."

"I just spent some time with the corporal's family and with the trooper's family and I expressed to them on behalf of all 13 million Pennsylvanians how thankful we are for their service every day and how our prayers were all answered that they are going to be okay and survive their injuries," he said.

Shapiro expressed gratitude to the responders who were deployed to the scene and the medical staff at the hospital, stating that if it were not for them, "Tonight could have been much worse."

"Tonight could have been much more tragic for our state police family," he said. "Thank God it wasn't."

Lt. Col. George Bivens, acting commissioner of Pennsylvania State Police, told reporters that the police helicopter out of Harrisburg conducting routine training exercises at Carlisle Regional Airport when the collision occurred.

He said the helicopter was hovering several feet off the ground over a grassy area adjacent to a runway when the two-seat Cessna, coming in for a landing, veered hard to the right for "an unknown reason" and struck the helicopter from behind.

"The pilots would not have been able to ever see that airplane approaching them," he said.

"It hit the rear tail rotor and went into the main rotor of the helicopter resulting in a very violent crash."

The plane crashed into the ground and broke into pieces, he said. The helicopter inverted following the collision and also crashed into the ground on its side and partially on its roof, initially trapping the two troopers inside.

"The corporal was in a position to push out a window and assist the trooper who he believed had some more serious injuries and had a lot of bleeding and was able to assist him out through that window and got both of them out of the helicopter," Bivens said.

The pilot of the Cessna died in the crash, he said, adding that authorities would not release their identity until next-of-kin notifications were completed.

Medical professionals said the two troopers suffered only minor injuries in the crash.

Bivens said they believe the pilot of the plane, which was based in Carlisle, was the only occupant, but part of the investigation is to ensure that there was only one person onboard.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.