The helicopter crash into the sea at Vouliagmeni Marina, which occurred yesterday afternoon, is now under the “microscope” of the prosecutor.

In the meantime, the Athens Prosecutor’s Office has ordered a preliminary investigation to determine the causes of the helicopter’s fall and, if found, to assign criminal responsibility.

At the same time, the 57-year-old pilot of the helicopter was taken to court after his arrest by the port authorities, but he was released and ordered to conduct a preliminary examination.

How the helicopter went down

The helicopter had taken off from Aspropyrgos, with a stopover at the Vouliagmeni marina to pick up four passengers bound for Mykonos. During the take-off procedure, and while hovering about one meter above the ground, it received strong gusts of wind that dragged it away and dropped it on its front right side into the sea, near the green entrance light.

The four passengers and the 57-year-old national pilot managed to swim out of the helicopter by swimming to the rocks. From there, they were picked up by a marina dinghy and taken to the pier.

All were examined by the ambulance crew and were found to be in good health, with the sole exception of one of the two women – who was pregnant – who was taken to a private obstetrics clinic as a precautionary measure.

After the crash, the helicopter sank. The marina management body placed a floating barrier to prevent pollution, while with the help of a diver and a crane, the aircraft was lifted and transferred to the facilities of Tatoi airport for technical inspection and investigation of the causes of the accident.