Returning from a vacation in Mykonos, a family from the UK rented 2 Bell 407 helicopters, not even guessing how the flight might end – their son died a terrible death.
An unprecedented tragedy occurred yesterday at 6:20 p.m. when a 21-year-old tourist got off a landing helicopter where he was flying with his brother and sister – their parents were in the second Bell 407. Unaware that the propeller was still spinning, the youth headed to the tail of the helicopter and was literally dissected by blades, writes The Sun. The brother of the deceased witnessed a terrible tragedy.
The shocked pilot immediately contacted his colleague aboard the second helicopter to report the incident and ask him to take off immediately. He requested emergency permission to take off and deviated from the course, not landing at the Lolo airfield in Spata, in order to save his parents from the terrible appearance of their dead son. A source told The Sun: “The pilot saw what happened and decided to spare the parents the sight of their son – it was terrible.”
He landed at another helipad in Athens, where the couple were informed that their son’s death had been confirmed. A police source says:
“We are talking about a tragedy – an unprecedented tragedy that should never have happened. The cause of the accident is being investigated, but it remains unclear why the helicopter’s tail rotor propeller was running and not stopped before the passengers were allowed to exit, because they pose such an obvious danger.”
The identity of the family has not been revealed, but they appear to be very wealthy British travelers. Their 115-mile trip in two helicopters in Mykonos cost £15,000. Limousines were on standby at Lolo’s helipad in Spata on the outskirts of Athens to take them straight to the family private jet waiting for tourists to fly back from the Greek capital’s international airport.
Investigators looking into the tragedy are today questioning the helicopter pilot about why the propeller was not immobilized and secured before passengers were allowed to leave the helicopter. Perhaps the weather played a role – on Monday, strong winds blew throughout Greece and there was a scorching heat of 40 ° C.
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