What details are known about the mid-air collision of two firefighting helicopters west of Athens?

What happened

Two Greek firefighting helicopters collided in midair on a Sunday while battling a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens [2]. The collision happened as the helicopters were helping to control a huge wildfire that had destroyed more than 100 homes northwest of Athens, and it came as historic wildfires were burning through parts of Europe [3][24].

The collision occurred in Psatha, a coastal area west of Athens in the Attica region, according to Greece's fire service [4][28]. Other reports placed it about 65 km (42 miles) west of the capital [11]. The aircraft were two Bell helicopters leased from the Australian company McDermott Aviation, and the Greek Fire Service said they collided while tackling a large wildfire on the Attica-Boeotia border [13][33].

Who was hurt

Four crew members were on board in total — two Greek nationals and two foreign nationals — with two crew in each helicopter [34][35]. Two people were killed: a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer [9][27]. The other two people, a British pilot and another Greek co-ordinator, survived [10][62].

After the collision, the crew of one helicopter was quickly located and was safe, while a search-and-rescue operation was underway for the second crew [6]. Later reports said one crew was rescued alive, while the other two crew members were recovered unconscious and later pronounced dead [14][51].

The two survivors escaped with minor injuries [16][32]. They stayed conscious and were taken to hospital for observation for 24 hours as a precaution [17], and were treated at the 251 Air Force General Hospital in Athens [38]. The British survivor was a private pilot hired for the wildfire season [18]; he was not part of any exchange between the UK and Greece, and Greece had not requested assistance from Athens [57]. The names of the four crew members were not publicly released [19][59].

How the collision happened

Footage posted on the Forecast Weather Greece Facebook page appeared to show the two helicopters crossing paths at low altitude before the main rotor of the lower helicopter struck the underside of the one above it, causing the lower helicopter to crash in flames [5][44]. Reuters had not verified that footage's authenticity [5]. Other reporting said video shows one of the two Bell helicopters hitting the rotors of the other, which burst into flames and crashed in a ravine [11][49]. The collision was captured on video [25][39].

After the impact, the second helicopter dumped its load of water and flew away [45], then made an emergency landing in an area of low vegetation [31][53]. The two people on that second helicopter — the British pilot and the Greek fire service liaison officer — escaped with minor injuries [16][32].

The two survivors immediately reported the collision and guided rescuers to the crash site [58]. Afterward, the charred remains of one helicopter were visible lying next to the road with smoke rising [41], and firefighters and forensic experts were later seen working at the crash site [21].

Aftermath and investigation

According to protocol, all Bell helicopters across Greece were grounded after the accident [15][52]. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his "deepest sorrow" over the loss [20][66], describing it as the loss of a Greek coordinator and a Danish pilot operating in the "major fire" at Porto Germeno [36].

The cause of the crash remained unclear, and it was not known whether weather conditions contributed [37]. Conditions during the firefighting operation had been "extremely difficult," with strong winds at times preventing aircraft from operating [40]. McDermott Aviation said it was working closely with the authorities and would continue to assist their investigation [60]. News reports about the collision were dated Aug. 4, 2026 [26].