A British couple and a Greek pilot died on Monday when their private helicopter crashed on the Greek island of Sifnos. The victims were identified by Greek police and their respective employers as Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert, who were in the country for their honeymoon. The helicopter, a Bell 206, went down just meters from its intended landing pad, resulting in a fire that was extinguished by Monday evening.
The flight originated in the village of Markopoulo, located near Athens, and was traveling to Sifnos, a popular destination in the Aegean Sea. According to reports from the Greek news outlet Kathimerini, the aircraft was private. A senior police official told The Times that the crash occurred shortly before the scheduled landing time of 18:15 local time.
Witnesses reported hearing unusual engine sounds from the aircraft as it approached the landing area. Sifnos Deputy Mayor Yiannis Rafeletos stated that two victims were located within the wreckage, while a third was found nearby. Greece's aviation safety authority confirmed that investigators were deployed to the scene on Tuesday to collect evidence and interview witnesses to determine the cause of the incident.
The scale of the accident involves a single Bell 206 helicopter and three fatalities. For the residents of Sifnos, a small island community, the event occurred within meters of local homes, causing significant local distress. The crash resulted in a fire that required the deployment of local firefighters and emergency services to prevent further spread on the island's terrain.
The investigation by the Greek aviation safety authority will focus on the "bizarre engine noise" reported by locals to determine if the crash was caused by mechanical failure, pilot error, or environmental factors. This process typically involves reviewing maintenance records of the private aircraft and analyzing the wreckage. Further updates are expected as investigators complete their site assessment, which began on Tuesday, August 18.