Helicopter crash on Evia: unanswered questions

A day after the helicopter crashed in the sea area of ​​Achladi on Evia, divers managed to find and recover the body of pilot Michalis Lambos.

According to the Mega channel, one of the unanswered questions about the circumstances of the tragedy is where the owner of the helicopter was and who gave permission for the flight.

According to Mega, Vertigo’s theory is that the pilot mistook the horizon due to bad weather, it is confirmed as there is no evidence of mechanical failure yet. The pilot did not activate a system that would alert him when the flight altitude was less than 500 meters, and did not activate the autopilot, which could safely guide him using GPS.

Most professional colleagues believe that this the pilot was overconfident and, perhaps, that is why he did not activate the safety systems.

Close relatives of the deceased told the Mega channel that he was the father of a minor child and dreamed of a son, but fate decreed otherwise. They also added that he had many hours of flight time and extensive experience.

“He shouldn’t have been picked up by a helicopter,” said one of his relatives. And another noted: “He put his duty before his life. For me he was a hero because, despite the bad weather, he took the helm to fulfill his duty.”

“He served in the Air Force for many years, it was no coincidence. His whole life was like this – the desire to devote himself entirely to his favorite business. At some point, he left the Greek army and began to engage in civilian flying. He was very good at his job…,” the pilot’s cousin told Mega.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbgT6Cu6dV4

“We have to study the helicopter, the pilot, the weather conditions,” says former pilot and aviation accident expert Pantelis Fragoulis in an interview with Mega. “The helicopter is very modern, especially this one was ultra-modern and very safe. And it was flown by a pilot who had experience in the army.” and civil aviation. But the bad weather… did its dirty work.”

The pilot’s route and stop before his final destination indicated there was “tension,” the expert said. The pilot was thinking about what to do, where the sky was and where the earth was. Visibility was zero – thick clouds hovered over the sea.

“He could have refused to fly in such bad weather, however, it seems that pressure was put on him… The low flight he made shows that the weather conditions at that moment were very difficult,” experts say.

The A-109 helicopter took off from the Afidnes heliport at 08:00 on Thursday, September 28 and was heading to Volos airport. At 8:45 am, due to weather conditions, the pilot reported that he would land at Mantudi, on private land. At 9 he reported that he would land safely. At 10:13 he began flying again to his destination. Within minutes, contact with the operator was lost and authorities were alerted.

Residents of Akhladi saw a helicopter flying in the area minutes before the crash and initially thought it was conducting some kind of research. However, suddenly he made a sudden movement and fell into the sea. After the initial shock, residents tried to get to the site by boat to provide assistance. However, as it later turned out, there was only 1 person in the helicopter – the pilot. The aircraft fell to the bottom of the sea, to a depth of 52 meters.

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