It’s the tragic end of a family vacation.
On Monday evening, a British tourist (22) landed in a helicopter at a private airport in Spata ( Greece). Without knowing that the tail rotor was still running, he went behind the helicopter – and was dismembered by the rotor blades.
Bitter: His sister was in the same heli and had to watch him die. Rescue workers rushed to the scene of the accident, but could do nothing more for the man. He was said to have died almost immediately, reports the British “ Sun“.
The parents traveled in another helicopter, which was still airborne at the time of the accident. After the stopover in Spata, you actually wanted to fly back to England by private jet. But their pilot landed him near Athens to spare them the sight of their dead son.
Rescue workers secure the body of the British tourist
How exactly the Brit got into the rotor blades is unclear. Normally, civilians should only disembark from a helicopter when the engine is off.
According to the “Sun”, it takes between 50 seconds and two minutes for the rotor blades to come to a standstill. However, anyone can leave the helicopter during this time. The police arrested two ground technicians but are also investigating the pilot. If he didn’t switch off the engine, he could be tried for manslaughter.