British holidaymaker, 22, killed in helicopter accident in Greece ‘while taking photo’

26 July 2022, 06:09 | Updated: 26 July 2022, 13:08

A British tourist who died after he was struck by a helicopter tail rotor in Greece 'while taking a photo' has been named as Jack Fenton.

The 22-year-old was reportedly travelling with three friends and had returned from a brief trip to the island of Mykonos, landing at a helipad in Spata, Athens, on Monday evening.

“He was the first to disembark the Bell 407 helicopter in Athens and as he moved to the back, he was hit in the head by the aircraft’s small rear rotor,” a senior police official told The Times.

“There was no chance of him surviving. His death was instantaneous.”

The Oxford Brookes student was reportedly using his phone when he was fatally struck by the helicopter blades.

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The pilot has since been arrested on manslaughter charges and two ground technicians have also been held by police while investigators probe the circumstances of the accident, according to local media.

Jack's parents had hired the helicopter during a family trip, with at least one of his siblings understood to be onboard.

His father, Miguel, is head of marketing, sales and PR at The Hop Farm, a 400-acre country park and visitor attraction in Beltring, near Tonbridge, Kent.

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Local media reported that four people had been in the first helicopter and they had been returning from Mykonos and planned to travel to Athens International Airport, where they would return to the UK.

Jack reportedly walked behind the Bell 407 helicopter while its engines were still engaged and was struck by the aircraft's propeller.

Those onboard were left watching horrified as he was killed instantly, around 6.20pm local time.

Emergency services rushed to the private helipad but found the man dead, Proto Thema reported.

The pilot reportedly diverted the victim's parents, who were in a second helicopter travelling behind, to another airfield in Spata, to spare them the horror of seeing their son's body.

Police said the propellers tend to continue for around two minutes after the engine has been switched off, unless the pilot presses a button to stop them at around 50 seconds.

The investigation by police and the Independent Aviation Accident Investigation Authority will focus on whether the pilot told the passengers to disembark the aircraft.

A police source told The Sun: "We are talking about a tragedy - an unprecedented tragedy that never should have happened.

"The cause is being investigated but it remains unclear why this happened or was allowed to happen when rotor blades pose such an obvious danger."

An investigation is understood to be ongoing into how the man was allowed to get off the aircraft while the rotor blades were still in motion.

The Foreign Office confirmed a British man has died in Greece and said they are supporting his family.

An FCDO spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities."

The accident comes as Greece approaches the peak of its tourist season, largely dominated by British tourists.

LBC has approached the Foreign Office for comment.