Two Firefighting Crew Members Die in Helicopter Collision West of Athens
A Danish pilot and a Greek fire-service liaison officer were killed while tackling a major wildfire near Psatha; a British pilot and a second Greek crew member survived with minor injuries.
Two leased firefighting helicopters collided while operating over a major wildfire near Psatha, west of Athens, killing a Danish pilot and a Greek fire-service liaison officer.
The collision occurred on Sunday as the aircraft were working along the Attica-Boeotia border, where strong winds had driven a fast-moving fire through a broad area.
The two Bell helicopters had taken off from Elefsina military airport for the operation.
Video of the collision shows one aircraft striking the other at low altitude before the damaged helicopter catches fire and falls into a ravine.
Its two occupants were recovered unconscious and were later pronounced dead.
The second helicopter made an emergency landing in an area of low vegetation.
Its crew, a British pilot hired privately for Greece’s wildfire season and a Greek fire-service liaison officer, remained conscious and sustained minor injuries.
Both were taken to hospital for observation.
The Greek Fire Service said the helicopters were contracted for the firefighting mission.
Authorities have not released the names of any of the four crew members, and the cause of the collision remains under investigation.
A civil-protection ministry official said Bell helicopters operating across Greece were grounded under standard procedure after the accident.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece’s prime minister, expressed his "deepest sorrow" and said the deaths of the Greek coordinator and Danish pilot "fills us all with grief." He offered condolences to their families.
The crash came during an extensive emergency response to fires in western Attica and central Greece.
More than five hundred firefighters have been deployed across affected areas, including Porto Germeno, Psatha, Fokida, Megara and Kefalonia.
Other aircraft, including Erickson Air-Cranes, Chinook helicopters and Canadair water-bombing planes, remain in service.
The fire near Psatha spread amid powerful winds, forcing evacuations and threatening homes and infrastructure.
Greece has faced repeated periods of extreme wildfire danger this summer after a mild, wet winter encouraged vegetation growth that later dried in successive heat spells.
The investigation will examine the aircraft’s flight paths, communications and operating conditions while the remaining aerial fleet continues the wildfire response.
The collision occurred on Sunday as the aircraft were working along the Attica-Boeotia border, where strong winds had driven a fast-moving fire through a broad area.
The two Bell helicopters had taken off from Elefsina military airport for the operation.
Video of the collision shows one aircraft striking the other at low altitude before the damaged helicopter catches fire and falls into a ravine.
Its two occupants were recovered unconscious and were later pronounced dead.
The second helicopter made an emergency landing in an area of low vegetation.
Its crew, a British pilot hired privately for Greece’s wildfire season and a Greek fire-service liaison officer, remained conscious and sustained minor injuries.
Both were taken to hospital for observation.
The Greek Fire Service said the helicopters were contracted for the firefighting mission.
Authorities have not released the names of any of the four crew members, and the cause of the collision remains under investigation.
A civil-protection ministry official said Bell helicopters operating across Greece were grounded under standard procedure after the accident.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece’s prime minister, expressed his "deepest sorrow" and said the deaths of the Greek coordinator and Danish pilot "fills us all with grief." He offered condolences to their families.
The crash came during an extensive emergency response to fires in western Attica and central Greece.
More than five hundred firefighters have been deployed across affected areas, including Porto Germeno, Psatha, Fokida, Megara and Kefalonia.
Other aircraft, including Erickson Air-Cranes, Chinook helicopters and Canadair water-bombing planes, remain in service.
The fire near Psatha spread amid powerful winds, forcing evacuations and threatening homes and infrastructure.
Greece has faced repeated periods of extreme wildfire danger this summer after a mild, wet winter encouraged vegetation growth that later dried in successive heat spells.
The investigation will examine the aircraft’s flight paths, communications and operating conditions while the remaining aerial fleet continues the wildfire response.
