A British tourist was killed by a helicopter blade as he tried to snap a selfie in Greece — and now three crew members are under arrest, according to reports.
Jack Fenton, 22, had just gotten off a chartered Bell 407 at a helipad outside Athens on Monday when he was hit by the still-spinning rear rotors, the Guardian reported.
“Our inquiry has focused on possible negligence,” a police source told the news outlet.
“Basic questions have emerged from witness testimony as to why the blades were not at a standstill when passengers were allowed to disembark on Monday.”
Fenton was on his way back from a family vacation on a ritzy Greek island at the time, the report said.
He reportedly got off the helicopter and headed to its rear, not realizing the blades were still spinning, and died instantly.
A second helicopter carrying his parents was diverted so they wouldn’t have to see the gruesome aftermath, according to Sky News.
A police union head said the propeller blades run for about two minutes when the engine is turned off unless the pilot hits a button that can stop them in about 50 seconds, according to Sky.
“The helicopter door has no security, anyone who wants to open the door and get out,” Girgos Kalliakmanis told local media, the Guardian reported.
“The preliminary investigation will look at whether the pilot informed them to get out when the propeller and engines stopped.”
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was supporting the family and “in contact with local authorities” while Fenton’s employer, London-based Ball Street Network, said its team was in shock over the “tragic news,” the BBC said. The helicopter crew can face charges of negligent homicide, according to the news outlet.
Fenton and his family were returning from a trip to Mykonos, a luxury destination where Tesla founder Elon Musk recently vacationed, and had been scheduled to be chauffeured to the airport from the helipad, the Guardian said.
