Two firefighting helicopters owned by McDermott Aviation, an Australian company, collided in midair as they were battling a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens, sending one aircraft crashing to the ground. Two crew members, a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer, died in the crash.
The collision happened on Sunday (Athen's time) laid bare the danger at the most volatile front of Europe’s wildfire emergency. Video posted online and reported in Greek media appeared to show two helicopters crossing paths at low altitude, before the main rotor of the lower helicopter struck the underside of the other. The lower one then crashed in flames.
The second helicopter then dumped its load of water and flew away. Reuters has not yet verified the authenticity of the footage. The two crew members who were recovered alive were a British pilot and another Greek coordinator. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed “sorrow for the tragic accident” and extended condolences to the families of the firefighters killed in the crash.
“The loss of the Greek coordinator and the Danish pilot at the time they were attempting the major fire in Porto Gremeno fills us all with grief,” Mitsotakis said in a statement.
The aircraft were Bell helicopters operating over the Psatha area west of Athens, each with a two-person crew. Foreign firefighting and helicopter crews are often deployed in Greece to help tackle wildfires during the country’s hot, dry summers.
McDermott Aviation, a company based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, confirmed it owned both aircraft. The company leases aircraft fitted out for firefighting, construction and emergency response in multiple countries.
Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families, friends and colleagues of those affected by this tragic incident.
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