A newly married British couple have been killed alongside their pilot after a private helicopter crashed in Greece during what should have been their dream honeymoon.
Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert, from England, were traveling on the island of Sifnos when the helicopter went down in a field in the Tholos area on Monday, Aug. 17.
The aircraft reportedly crashed just minutes before it was due to land at a heliport.
According to The Times, the helicopter erupted into a fireball on impact, engulfing the aircraft and scattering debris across the area.
Cromie and Ebert had been traveling to Sifnos from Markopoulo, a village roughly 13 miles southeast of Athens.
Sifnos is a popular Greek vacation destination known for its beaches, whitewashed villages and luxury retreats.
The pilot was identified as 55-year-old Giorgos Raikos.
Greek newspaper Ta Nea reported that Raikos was a veteran of the Hellenic Army who later became a professional helicopter pilot after retiring from the military.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene within minutes.
Firefighters and a doctor responded, while police sealed off the crash area. Additional assistance was also sent from the nearby island of Syros.
Video circulating online appeared to show the helicopter rotating in the air and rapidly losing altitude before crashing to the ground.
A police official in Athens told The Times that the helicopter had been scheduled to land at approximately 6:15 p.m.
“The crash came minutes before the scheduled 6:15 p.m. landing,” the official said. “The helicopter was scheduled to leave 25 minutes later.”
Investigators are now trying to determine what caused the aircraft to suddenly go down.
Aviation safety officials are examining flight records, weather conditions and the possibility of a mechanical failure.
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