A British helicopter pilot, Andrew Hutchinson, 48, has "miraculously" survived a mid-air collision with another aircraft that killed two people while they were battling wildfires in Greece. The incident occurred in the Psatha region of Attica, approximately 42 miles west of Athens.
The collision involved two Bell helicopters, both of which had taken off from Elefsina military airport and were carrying two passengers each. The crash resulted in the deaths of a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer. Hutchinson, an aerial firefighter who operates a helicopter business in Yorkshire, was in Greece to assist in combating the country's wildfires.
Footage of the incident shows one helicopter approaching the other before their rotors interlock, causing one aircraft to erupt in a fireball and plunge into a ravine. Hutchinson told his family that he and the Greek fire co-ordinator managed to exit the helicopter before it exploded after losing power and crashing. His uncle described his survival as miraculous, suggesting that few other pilots could have landed a helicopter without rotors, a maneuver known as autorotation.
Hutchinson, a father of three, has extensive experience in specialized helicopter work globally, including recent efforts to dampen grass fires in Wales and work in Australia. His wife and children have traveled to Athens to be with him. He is reportedly undergoing treatment for spinal injuries and is expected to return home soon.
The incident prompted Greek authorities to ground all Bell helicopters in the area pending an investigation. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed sorrow over the accident and extended condolences to the families of those killed. He noted that the loss occurred while they were attempting to combat a major fire in Porto Germeno, a site of significant concern.
The accident has raised the death toll from Greek fires to five, with three other firefighters having died in separate incidents in Crete and the Peloponnese. Hundreds of firefighters were engaged in battling wind-fueled fires near Porto Germeno, located on the Gulf of Corinth, northwest of the capital. Authorities stated that strong winds were exacerbating the fires, making their spread rapid and unpredictable.
Earlier on the day of the crash, Prime Minister Mitsotakis had issued a warning regarding the operation of firefighting aircraft, stating they could not operate safely in the prevailing strong winds. He explained that while the government had invested in resources, extreme weather phenomena sometimes surpassed human planning and operational capabilities. He further noted that extreme turbulence had frequently made flights impossible, shifting the burden of firefighting almost entirely to ground crews.
The helicopters involved were leased from McDermott Aviation, an Australian company that has supported operations in Greece for seven years. The company is part of a fleet of 15 aircraft.