Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis provided an update on the health condition of the three pilots from the helicopter that made an emergency landing in Elefsina. Through a post on X, he clarified that the crew members “are in good health” and are undergoing precautionary medical examinations.
Read: Elefsina: How the helicopter accident occurred – First moments from crew rescue (Images & Video)
Specifically, the Health Minister wrote: “The initial assessments by doctors at the Emergency Department of Attiko Hospital regarding the three firefighting helicopter pilots, who made an emergency water landing in Elefsina, indicate that their lives are not in danger. They arrived walking and are now undergoing precautionary examinations.”
Οι πρώτες εκτιμήσεις των ιατρών στα ΤΕΠ του Αττικού Νοσοκομείου, για τους τρεις πιλότους του ελικοπτέρου της Πυροσβεστικής, που έκανε αναγκαστική προσθαλάσσωση στην Ελευσίνα, είναι ότι δεν κινδυνεύει η ζωή τους, προσήλθαν περιπατητικοί και τώρα υποβάλλονται σε προληπτικές…
— Άδωνις Γεωργιάδης (@AdonisGeorgiadi) July 22, 2025
Elefsina: How the helicopter accident occurred
However, the causes that led to the emergency water landing remain unknown. The leased helicopter, which was operating on a fire in the Imeros Topos area of Aspropyrgos, was attempting to collect water when a second helicopter was positioned behind it at a higher altitude for the same water refueling procedure.
It should be noted that the three pilots were aboard the firefighting helicopter that made the emergency landing off the port of Elefsina. Subsequently, search operations were conducted by 3 Coast Guard vessels, one tugboat, and private boats. The three-member crew (two Americans and one Greek) were safely recovered by a private vessel with a Coast Guard officer aboard, and then transferred by a Coast Guard boat to Kalympaki Elefsina where an ambulance was waiting. They are in good health and appear to have only minor abrasions at first glance, however they will be examined by doctors at Attiko Hospital.
Profile of the helicopter that crashed in Elefsina
It is noted that the helicopter participating in the operation is an Erickson S-64 Air-Crane type, one of the largest and most powerful firefighting helicopters in the world. It can carry up to 10,000 liters of water or fire retardant and operate in particularly difficult conditions. Helicopters of this type are chartered every summer by Civil Protection and constitute a basic tool in aerial firefighting.
