A British pilot has survived a helicopter crash in Greece while engaged in firefighting operations, his family has said. Andrew Hutchinson, 48, was involved in a collision between two helicopters approximately 40 miles west of Athens. The crash resulted in the deaths of a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer.

Hutchinson, an experienced aerial firefighter and operator of a helicopter business in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, sustained a back injury and is currently recovering in Athens following surgery. He is expected to return to the United Kingdom soon. According to his family, Hutchinson and the Greek fire officer travelling with him managed to evacuate the aircraft moments before it erupted in flames.

Michael Hutchinson, Andrew’s uncle, described the pilot’s escape as “miraculous,” noting the difficulty of safely landing a helicopter after rotor damage. He recalled Andrew’s skill in performing autorotation, a maneuver to land a helicopter without engine power, which likely contributed to his survival in the crash. Footage of the incident shows one Bell helicopter rising underneath the other before their rotor blades struck, causing one aircraft to catch fire and plummet into a ravine, while the other descended rapidly into dense woodland.

The pilot’s phone was destroyed in the crash, preventing communication after the event. Michael Hutchinson said his nephew, who comes from a farming background, taught himself to fly after deciding to switch careers. “He announced he was going to learn to fly helicopters, paid for the training himself, and has been flying for many years," his uncle stated.

Despite the severity of the crash, Michael Hutchinson believes it will not deter Andrew from continuing his aviation career. “He’s a really careful lad. He knows what he is doing,” he said. “Nothing would stop him.”