Damaged rotor blade may be to blame for Greek helicopter crash that killed British newlyweds
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By ANDREW YOUNG
Published: | Updated:
A damaged rotorblade from an earlier incident may have caused the helicopter crash that killed a British couple on honeymoon in Greece last week.
The Bell 206 helicopter was carrying Alexander Cromie, 31, and Marie Ebert, 30, when the pilot apparently lost control while coming in to land on the island of Sifnos on Monday.
Witnesses saw the helicopter spinning out of control, suggesting it had a tail rotor failure, before it crashed, killing the newlyweds and the Greek pilot.
Investigators are said to be looking at whether the crash was linked to a scare involving the helicopter 11 weeks earlier.
Restraining straps were put in place after the aircraft landed on Paros on June 1 to immobilise the tail blades so they would not move in high winds.
But the pilot failed to ensure the straps had been removed before starting the engine again to fly passengers off the island, according to a report filed with Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority.
Experts are said to be assessing whether the straps could have caused any strain or damage to the tail assembly.
The investigation will be hampered by the intense fire that destroyed much of the helicopter.
Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert,were taking a ride in a private air taxi before it was suspected to have suffered a mechanical failure and crashed near a heliport in Sifnos, Greece
Footage showed the helicopter immediately engulfed in a fireball, with smoke seen billowing into the sky from the blackened wreckage
Pictured: Aerial view of the area where a Bell 206 helicopter crashed on the island of Sifnos
Flight tracker records suggest the helicopter remained in Paros for three weeks after the June 1 incident. It later received an air-worthiness certificate, on July 2.
The civil aviation authority has ruled that ‘visual and functional checks’ be carried out on the tail rotors of all Bell 206 helicopters before every flight in Greece as a precaution following the crash.
Mr Cromie, a vice-president in private wealth solutions for asset management company Blackstone, and Ms Ebert are thought to have booked an 80-mile flight to Sifnos costing £1,300 as a honeymoon treat.
A spokesman for Blackstone said Mr Cromie was ‘beloved by everyone who worked with him’.
Management consultant Bain & Company, which employed Ms Ebert as a senior specialist, described her as a ‘much-loved and deeply respected’ member of its London team.
Relatives of Mr Cromie and Ms Ebert are reported to have flown to Athens to formally identify their bodies.
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