Aug. 18 (UPI) — Police said a helicopter crash that killed a recently married couple from Britain and a pilot on the Greek island of Sifnos may have been caused by a mechanical fault.
Marie Ebert, 30, and Alexander Cromie, 31, of London died Monday when the private Bell 206 helicopter spiraled out of control and crashed not far from a landing pad, exploding on impact. Also killed was pilot Giorgos Raikos, 53, of Greece, The Guardian reported.
Sifnos Deputy Mayor Yiannis Rafeletos said many local people saw the crash — which occurred near occupied houses — and described “a bizarre engine noise coming from the aircraft,” BBC News reported.
“So much happiness has turned into sorrow,” Rafeletos said.
Raikos was a former air force officer and “extremely experienced,” officials said, The Guardian reported. The couple hired the helicopter to travel from a village near Athens to Sifnos, a popular holiday spot about 120 miles away from Greece’s capital.
The crash caused a fireball and thick plumes of dark smoke, igniting a fire on the ground that is now extinguished. Rescue workers fighting the fire found the remains of those who’d been on the helicopter, and further tests will determine the precise cause of death.
A crash inquiry will be led by Greece’s National Organization for the Investigation of Air and Railway Accidents and Transport Safety. By Tuesday, the civil aviation authority in Greece had allegedly recalled Bell 206 helicopters until further notice, The Guardian said.
Cromie worked as a vice president in private wealth solutions for Blackstone, an ***et management company. Ebert was a senior specialist for management consultants Bain & Company.
“We are shocked by the tragic p***ing of three people including our colleague Alex Cromie and his wife, Marie Ebert, who were celebrating their honeymoon,” a Blackstone representative said in a statement. “Alex was beloved by everyone who knew and worked with him at Blackstone, and our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.”
A representative for Bain & Company echoed those thoughts in a statement.
“We are shocked to read reports of a tragic accident in Greece regarding one of our colleagues and her husband,” it said. “Our thoughts and support are with the families involved at this very difficult time.”
