A helicopter carrying two British newlyweds crashed on the Greek island of Sifnos, killing all three people on board, after being filmed spinning out of control moments before impact.
The Bell 206 helicopter came down at around 6.15pm local time on August 17, with black smoke later seen rising from the crash site. The British couple were reported to be Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert, believed to be in their early 30s and living in London. They had reportedly hired the private helicopter to travel to the island for their honeymoon.
Greek pilot Giorgos Raikos, 55, was also killed. Local reports described him as an experienced former Greek Air Force officer who had flown military Chinook helicopters.
Footage shows helicopter struggling for control
Security camera footage from a nearby home shows the helicopter appearing to struggle for control as its tail circles through the air. The aircraft then drops rapidly and disappears behind a building, with pieces of the helicopter seen being thrown into the air on impact.
The helicopter had travelled from the wider Markopoulo area in Attica and was approaching Sifnos when the pilot reportedly informed the relevant service that he was preparing to land. According to Greek newspaper Ta Nea, communications then suddenly stopped. Residents living close to the helipad reported hearing an unusual noise from the aircraft shortly before the crash.
Investigation underway
All three people on board were confirmed dead. No homes were struck by the helicopter and there were understood to have been no other casualties.
Manolis Fountoulakis, deputy mayor of Sifnos, told ERTnews: “According to the testimonies of the residents of the area, they heard the noise of the helicopter, it was a strange noise. It probably had a mechanical failure in the air. This is because the propeller was doing something strange… it was making a very loud noise.”
The cause of the crash has not yet been established. Fountoulakis said residents had described hearing a noise “like military aircraft” before the helicopter came down. Authorities are reconstructing the helicopter's flight path and analysing footage of the crash as part of their investigation.
Local media reported there was little or no wind at the time, with conditions said to have been favourable for flying. The investigation is being led by the National Organization for the Investigation of Air and Railway Accidents and Transport Safety.
Sifnos mayor Maria Nadali said: “This is a shocking event. We are shocked and are trying to manage, together with the right services, the consequences of this incident next to the helipad.” Sifnos is part of Greece's Cyclades island group and is a popular summer holiday destination.
