A Monaco airline helicopter crashed Friday over the commune of Èze between Nice and Monaco in southeastern France.
On board the accident helicopter: the French pilot († 35) and his passenger. Both men die. The pilot was an experienced man: according to Monacair he had flown more than 1000 hours. According to the Monaco Daily News portal, the passenger is said to be Russian. He has not yet been identified.
According to the authorities, it should be a businessman. He held a passport from the State of Malta. Accordingly, he had EU residence rights.
The Public Prosecution Service does not exclude third-party debts
A deputy public prosecutor from Nice was also present at the scene of the accident. Spicy: According to the portal, it indicated that a third-party error as the cause of the crash cannot be ruled out.
What is certain: the death helicopter started its flight in Lausanne shortly after noon. Despite good weather, the flight ended abruptly at 2 p.m. at the Col d’Èze, above the French A8 motorway. Rescuers found two bodies.
At first it was apparently assumed that there were two Russian passengers on board in addition to the pilot. But the second Russian only booked the flight, but canceled it again at the last minute, according to Monacair.
The government of Monaco joins in the mourning
While the Monaco Daily News is still unaware of the fatal accident, a close friend of the family describes him as “a very respected person both in Monaco and everywhere he worked”. And: “He was one of the most decent, kindest, smartest and most polite people I know.”
The government of Monaco also reacted to the helicopter accident on Friday evening: the government of the prince expresses “deep concern to the families of the victims and the entire staff of the Monegasque transport company”. One takes “participation in the pain caused by this tragedy”. (NL)