Bell firefighting helicopters collide near Psatha, Greece
On 2 August 2026 two Bell AB‑214 ST firefighting helicopters collided while battling a wildfire near Psatha in western Attica, Greece. The mid‑air crash killed the Danish pilot of one aircraft and a Greek fire‑service officer, while the British pilot Andrew Hachinson and a Greek crew member escaped seconds before the helicopter exploded. Hachinson suffered spinal injuries, underwent surgery and credited an emergency autorotation landing for his survival.
Greek authorities opened a full investigation, deploying drones, expert examiners and a police anti‑arson unit to the crash site. The investigation identified a short‑circuit in a private wind‑farm power line as the ignition source of the wildfire that prompted the aerial operation. All Bell firefighting helicopters were temporarily withdrawn pending safety reviews.
The fire, which began on 31 July, spread across Boeotia and western Attica, burning an estimated 144 243 stremmata (about 35 000 acres). Four helicopters continued water drops while ground crews and volunteers fought remaining hotspots. The incident prompted a large‑scale emergency response involving the Greek Fire Service, police, the National Defence General Staff and regional authorities.
Entities: Andrew Hachinson · Andrew Hachison · Aristotelis (Greek fire‑service officer) · Bell AB‑214 ST · Bell AB‑214 ST firefighting helicopter · Bell AB‑214 ST helicopter · Bell AB‑214 ST helicopters · Bell Helicopter · Danish pilot (unnamed) · Eleusis Air Base · Greek Fire Service · Greek authorities
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 15 SOURCES] Two Bell AB‑214 ST firefighting helicopters collided on 2 August while fighting a wildfire near Psatha, western Attica, Greece. (multiple)
- [● 15 SOURCES] The collision killed the Danish pilot and a Greek fire‑service officer. (multiple)
- [● 14 SOURCES] British pilot Andrew Hachinson survived the crash. (multiple)
- [● 15 SOURCES] Video and photographs documented the collision and its aftermath. (multiple)
- [● 17 SOURCES] All Bell firefighting helicopters were withdrawn from service pending safety reviews. (multiple)
- [● 13 SOURCES] Hachinson suffered spinal injuries and underwent surgery. (multiple)
- [● 14 SOURCES] Hachinson performed an emergency autorotation landing, allowing himself and the Greek crew member to escape seconds before the aircraft exploded. (multiple)
- [● 15 SOURCES] Greek authorities launched a full investigation, deploying drones and expert examiners to the crash site. (multiple)
- [● 5 SOURCES] A short‑circuit in a private wind‑farm power line was identified as the ignition source of the wildfire. (source)