Two firefighters killed as Greek helicopters collide over wildfire near Athens

Two Greek firefighting helicopters collided in midair over a wind-driven wildfire in western Attica, killing two crew members and forcing a rescue response in the Psatha area west of Athens. One of the aircraft plunged to the ground after the collision, while the other remained airborne long enough for crews to be located.

Each helicopter carried two people. The dead were a Danish national and a Greek national. The survivors were a British pilot and another Greek crew member, both of whom were taken to hospital.

Greece’s fire department said forces were immediately mobilized after one helicopter stopped responding to communications. The crash took place as crews were battling flames in intense summer heat and strong winds, conditions that have strained firefighting operations across Greece and other parts of Europe.

The aircraft were Bell helicopters operating over rough terrain and thick smoke, where visibility can change in seconds and coordination between pilots becomes critical. In aerial firefighting, crews must fly low, work close to ridgelines and smoke plumes, and hold formation with other aircraft while trying to avoid the turbulence and sudden shifts that can come with a fast-moving fire front.

The collision added to a grim record of deadly firefighting aviation accidents in Greece. In July 2022, two Greek air force pilots died when a Canadair water-bombing plane crashed while fighting wildfires on Evia. Later that same week, two people died when a firefighting helicopter crashed into the sea off Samos on July 13, 2022.

Greece has been under repeated pressure in recent summers as wildfire seasons have grown more dangerous, with crews confronting long stretches of extreme heat, dry vegetation and strong winds. Those conditions increase the urgency to keep aircraft in the air, but they also raise the operational risks for pilots and ground controllers trying to coordinate multiple aircraft over smoke-obscured terrain.

The fatal midair collision near Athens underscored how thin the margin can be when firefighting fleets are pushed into the most dangerous conditions of the season.