A 22-year-old rich British tourist named Jack Fenton died in Greece after being hit by helicopter blades while attempting to take a photo as he alighted from the aircraft. Jack was struck when he walked behind the Bell 407 helicopter while its engines were still running. Rescue services were dispatched to the private heliport, but the person reportedly died in the spot.
The pilot then made a call to his colleague on another chopper, which was carrying the man’s parents, to raise the alarm. To avoid the man’s parents from watching the fatal accident, the pilot of the second helicopter decided to divert from the private airstrip in Spata and instead made an unplanned landing at Athens International Airport.
According to some media reports, Jack was snapping a selfie when he was knocked in the head by the high-speed rotor. The details of the accident are being investigated, but the pilot might face criminal charges if it is found that he advised the passengers to vacate the helicopter before the engine and rotors had shut.
“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 officer told The Times. “There was no chance of him surviving. His death was instantaneous,” he continued.
The pilot of the chopper and two members of the ground crew have reportedly been detained while authorities conduct their investigation. The trio reportedly provided testimony regarding the incident to a judge. Friends of John testified as well.
The family was supposed to arrive at the Superior Air helipad and then be taken to Eleftherios Venizelos airport to board the family’s private aircraft for the flight back to the United Kingdom. Miguel Fenton, Jack Fenton’s father, is the head of marketing, sales, and public relations at The Hop Farm, a 400-acre country park in the UK.