A pilot and one other crew member have died following the mid-air collision of two chartered McDermott 214ST firefighting helicopters in Greece on Sunday.
The victims include a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer, authorities said. Both occupants of the second helicopter — a British pilot and a Greek coordinator — survived.
“I express my deepest sorrow over the tragic accident,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prime minister of Greece, in a translated statement. “The loss … fills us all with grief.”
Australia-based McDermott Aviation owned both aircraft involved in the incident. John McDermott, the company’s founder and president, offered condolences to the affected families, friendsand colleagues.
“Both crews were undertaking the critical work of supporting firefighting operations to help protect communities,” McDermott said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“McDermott Aviation is working closely with the relevant authorities and will continue to assist as they undertake their investigation into the incident.”
The incident happened in the Psatha area of Attica, west of Athens, while trying to extinguish a large fire in Attica-Boeotia, authorities said. They had taken off from the Elefsina military airport.
Video posted to social media showed one helicopter exploding into flames and falling downward as it struck the other helicopter.
Authorities said they recovered one pilot and one crew member unconscious; ambulances picked them up and took them to hospital, where they were pronounced deceased.
Both survivors escaped with minor injuries, a source told the BBC.
It’s unclear what caused the incident, but Mitsotakis said the fires were being fought under “extremely adverse weather conditions, particularly for our aerial assets.”
McDermott Aviation deployed a fleet of 15 heavy-lift helicopters (including 214ST and 214B aircraft) to Greece for the 2026 fire season, marking its seventh consecutive year supporting Greek aerial firefighting operations.
