A Greek prosecutor has ordered an inquiry into the death of a 21-year-old British man killed by a spinning rotor blade after disembarking in Athens from a helicopter chartered from Mykonos.
Instructing the probe in the wake of Monday’s tragedy, the magistrate allowed two ground engineers and the aircraft’s pilot to walk free pending the results of the investigation. The trio had been detained after the incident.
The inquiry is expected to be fast-tracked amid shock over the aviation accident.
“Our inquiry has focused on possible negligence,” a police source said. “Basic questions have emerged from witness testimony as to why the blades were not at a standstill when passengers were allowed to disembark on Monday.”
The victim, identified as Jack Fenton, was killed instantly. He was due to return to the UK on a private jet after holidaying with his parents on Mykonos.
Greek media said the Oxford Brookes University student was struck by the helicopter’s rear rotor while attempting to take a selfie within seconds of the Bell 407 touching down at a helipad near Spata.
Fenton’s parents, who were flying behind in a second helicopter, were reportedly unaware of the tragedy when their own pilot was alerted and they were diverted to Athens international airport.
A fleet of waiting limousines had been due to take the group to the airport from the helipad.
The Mykonos-Athens passage has become a popular route for Superior Air, the aviation company that operated the luxury helicopter.
Mykonos, which has attracted the likes of Elon Musk this summer, has become a magnet for the super-rich.
Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BST
The judicial inquiry was ordered after the results of an official police probe were delivered to the state prosecutor on Tuesday. Greece’s committee for aviation accidents will oversee the findings, on the basis of which criminal charges will be drafted, court sources said.
“We have interviewed witnesses including the [three] friends who were traveling with him,” an officer said. “The probe will then be sent to the prosecutor who will assume the case.”
The unnamed pilot could face charges of involuntary manslaughter, according to media reports.
Superior Air was quoted as saying that safety protocols had been followed when the helicopter landed in Athens.
The Greek newspaper Proto Thema said landing staff had guided the passengers from the aircraft but Fenton, the first to disembark, unexpectedly turned back and walked towards the helicopter as its engines were still in motion.
The Briton’s friends, however, gave a vastly different version of events, saying they were not given exit instructions when the aircraft landed. If true, it will cast a pall over the safety protocols being adhered to in what has become an increasingly popular form of travel between the Greek isles.
www.theguardian.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism