His family attributes Andrew Hutchinson’s survival to his exceptional skills and years of experience, calling it a true “miracle.” The 48-year-old British pilot walked away alive from a violent mid-air collision between two firefighting helicopters during an aerial firefighting operation in Psatha. The helicopter he was piloting collided in mid-air with a Bell-type aircraft, resulting in the deaths of the Danish pilot of the second aircraft and a Greek Fire Service liaison officer. The survivors were immediately transferred to the 251 General Air Force Hospital, while both aircraft had taken off from the Elefsina air base.
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Helicopter crash in Psatha: “Not many pilots could have done it,” says the uncle of the British pilot who survived
Video footage captures the tragic moment the two helicopters approach each other, leading to the fatal contact of their rotors that sent one of them plummeting into a ravine in the middle of the blaze. As the 48-year-old recounted to his loved ones, he and his Greek passenger managed to escape just seconds before the explosion, executing a heavy forced landing with the engine off. His uncle, Michael Hutchinson, emphasized that his nephew’s composure and skill were the only factors that prevented an even greater tragedy.
“He crashed into the forest and managed to get out at the last moment. His phone was completely burned and he left it behind. He and the officer with him got out of the helicopter just before it exploded,” he told The Times.
He recalled flying with Andrew when he was still training in autorotation landings — a technique in which a helicopter lands without engine power.
“He said to me, ‘I’m going to switch off the engine.’ I looked at him in disbelief, and he landed it without the engine. He’s been flying helicopters for many, many years. He’s exceptionally careful and knows exactly what he’s doing,” he said.
Years of experience in aerial firefighting
Hutchinson, a father of three and owner of a helicopter company in Northallerton, Yorkshire, has spent years working in specialized aviation operations across multiple countries.
He recently took part in wildfire suppression efforts in Wales and had also spent several months in Australia, contributing to aerial firefighting operations there.
His wife, Dawn, along with their three children, travelled to Athens from their home in North Yorkshire to be by his side.
According to his family, the 48-year-old underwent spinal surgery to insert metal plates and screws, and is expected to return to the UK by air in the near future.
A self-taught pilot with a lifelong dedication to flying
Coming from a farming background, Hutchinson chose to pursue a career in aviation and taught himself to fly helicopters.
As his uncle revealed, the family often worried about the dangers of his work, yet he remained determined to continue taking part in aerial firefighting missions.
Every summer, foreign helicopter crews and firefighters travel to Greece to support operations tackling the country’s large-scale wildfires.
Investigation into the cause
The two helicopters had been leased from Australian company McDermott Aviation, which operates a fleet of 15 helicopters and has been supporting Greece’s aerial firefighting operations for the past seven years.
Following the accident, the Fire Service grounded all Bell helicopters operating in the area pending the outcome of the investigation into the cause of the collision.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his deep sorrow over the accident and offered his condolences to the families of the two victims. “The loss of the Greek liaison officer and the Danish pilot, while they were operating during the major wildfire at Porto Germeno, fills us all with grief,” he said in a statement.
With this accident, the total number of people killed in this year’s major wildfires in Greece rose to five, following the deaths of three firefighters in Crete and the Peloponnese.
