Crashed Greek army helicopter hit power cables: survivor

The sole survivor of a Greek army helicopter crash that killed four officers said the aircraft ran into power cables because of fog.

"We were flying low when we ran into fog. Visibility was very limited," sergeant major Vassiliki Plexida said from hospital, according to Thursday's Ethnos daily.

"The helicopter hit power cables and lost its balance. Everything happened in a fraction of a second," she said.

Yesterday's crash in a hilly area in the centre of the country killed a major general, a colonel, a major and a lieutanant, the military high command said.

Plexida broke her pelvis and hurt her hands, legs and neck in the accident but is expected to make a full recovery.
 

The Huey UH-1H helicopter had left early Wednesday from Larissa, in the centre of the country, heading north toward Kozani.

The multi-purpose Hueys are among the oldest aircraft in Greece's arsenal. The model first saw action with the US armed forces during the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

However, the high command on Wednesday said the helicopter that crashed was fully operational.

Last year, three Greek soldiers died when their Agusta Bell navy helicopter crashed into a small Aegean Sea islet during a pre-dawn exercise.