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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Rachel Hagan

Brit, 22, killed by spinning helicopter blade in front of family on holiday

A British man died in front of a pilot and his sibling after being hit by a spinning tail rotor of a helicopter while on holiday.

Jack Fenton's parents had hired the helicopter on holiday and the 22-year-old was taking a ride with at least one of his siblings when tragedy struck in Greece.

In the horrific freak accident, the man got off the back of the aircraft apparently unaware the blade was still spinning and was fatally injured after being hit by the tail rotor, reports said.

A Greek police source told the Mirror that the Briton had been decapitated by the moving blades at the tail of the helicopter.

He said: "The blades were still in motion when he disembarked and our investigation has focused on possible negligence. The rota should have been at a standstill when the young man left the aircraft. "

The circumstances of how the Oxford Brookes student came into contact with the rotor blades are being investigated.

The group chartered the helicopter to fly them from the island to Spata, near Athens from Mykonos around 6.20 pm local time.

It was reported that they were due to continue travelling to Athens International Airport and board a private jet to return home to Britain.

Did you witness the accident? Contact us at webnews@mirror.co.uk

According to Proto Thema, a local news site, the helicopter that landed first was carrying four passengers and landed at a private helipad.

Emergency services rushed to the scene but he was pronounced dead at the helipad.

The man’s parents were reportedly in the second helicopter, but their flight was diverted to another airfield in Spata, to save them the horror of seeing their son's body which was potentially decapitated.

Emergency services at the scene of the incident involving the Brit (John Liakos/Intime News/Athena Pictures)

A source told The Sun: “The pilot saw what had happened and decided to spare the parents the sight of their son - it was horrendous."

The pilot has been arrested on manslaughter charges and two ground technicians have also been held by police.

The private helicopter trip would have cost tens of thousands of pounds to pay for.

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.”

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