A young British tourist who died after being struck by helicopter blades in Greece may have been attempting to take a photo when alighting the aircraft, local media have reported.
The 22-year-old male has been named by local police as Jack Fenton. He was caught in the horrific accident on Monday evening just before 6.30pm local time after exiting the aircraft at a private airport in Spata, along with three other tourists, including his sister, according to reports.
“He was the first to disembark the Bell 407 helicopter in Athens and as he moved to the back, he was hit in the head by the aircraft’s small rear rotor,” a senior police official told The Times.
“There was no chance of him surviving. His death was instantaneous.”
Ioannis Kandyllis, president of Greece’s committee for aviation accidents which is investigating the incident, said witnesses he spoke to said Mr Fenton had a phone to his ear as he rushed toward the helicopter.
“All four passengers had disembarked and were escorted to a private lounge awaiting a private flight for London,” Mr Kandyllis said.
“But as they were in the lounge the victim broke away and returned to the tarmac, rushing to the helicopter at a fast pace. Witnesses we spoke to said he had a phone to his ear and was walking to the aircraft quickly, defying ground crew shouting to him, ‘Stop! Stop!
“Within seconds the tragic accident occurred. It was horrific.”
The former Oxford Brookes university student, who also attended Sutton Valence boarding school in Kent where fees are more than £30,000 a year, had returned from a brief holiday to the island of Mykonos prior to the incident.
According to a LinkedIn page, Mr Fenton was a junior account executive at a social media marketing firm.
The pilot reportedly radioed his colleague on board another helicopter, which had the man's parents on, to raise the alarm.
The pilot of the second helicopter chose to divert from the private airport in Spata and instead made an unscheduled landing at Athens International Airport to prevent the man’s parents witnessing the scene of the tragic accident.
Police have confirmed that investigations are underway and have said they are “doing everything to understand what went wrong and how this tragic incident occurred.”
According to local reports, the pilot of the black Bell 407 craft and two ground technicians have been arrested as police investigate. The trio appeared before a prosecutor, testifying in connection to the incident, according to reports. Mr Fenton’s friends, all men in their twenties, also provided testimony.
Police have not provided further details but local media said that all three had returned to the UK.
“All three face charges of negligent homicide,” a spokesman for the Greek police said.
“They were transferred this morning to Athens where they will face a court hearing. It will be up to the judge whether to release them or remand them in custody.
“How the accident happened is still under investigation. It was a very unfortunate incident. We hope that the British man’s family will stay strong.”
Greek media reported that the four people in the first helicopter planned to travel back to Britain from Athens International airport.
A police source told The Sun: “We are talking about a tragedy - an unprecedented tragedy that never should have happened.
“The cause is being investigated but it remains unclear why this happened or was allowed to happen when rotor blades pose such an obvious danger.”
Reports suggest the investigation will cover how the passengers were allowed to get off the helicopter while the rotor blades were still in motion.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities.”
