Helicopter crashes into car on busy Madrid ring road
A helicopter has crashed on a busy Madrid[1] ring road after taking centre stage at a European trade fair. The aircraft hit a car as it came down on Friday morning over a central reservation on a motorway bridge. Both of the helicopter’s passengers were taken to hospital.
One was able to exit on foot, while the other was rescued from the crumpled wreckage by firefighters after reportedly sustaining a broken leg. The driver of the car struck by the aircraft also suffered minor injuries. Footage showed the two-seat yellow helicopter lying on its side with its glass cockpit shattered and its tail smashed over the central reservation.
The car’s windshield was also shattered and its body sustained gashes. Dozens of emergency officers were sent to the scene.
One passenger exited the helicopter on foot and the other was rescued by firefightersCredit: JJ GUILLEN/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK
US manufacturer Enstrom’s 280FX Shark was one of 20 helicopters on display at the European Rotors trade fair in the Spanish capital, organised by the European Helicopter Association and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The helicopter’s recorded flight path showed that it was only in the air for a few hundred metres before coming back down, having taken off and crossed two distributor roads before crashing onto the M40 motorway at around 10.30am local time.
Eyewitnesses said the aircraft was flying very low as it headed towards Madrid’s Cuatro Vientos private airport. Investigators are looking into whether the crash may have been caused by a technical problem or if the aircraft was driven against a concrete pillar above the motorway bridge by a gust of wind, according to local media. Madrid was experiencing moderate winds of around 10mph on Friday morning.
Eyewitnesses said the aircraft was flying very low as it headed towards Madrid’s private airportCredit: JJ GUILLEN/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK
Forced landing
Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, the mayor of Madrid, praised the helicopter’s pilot for managing to avoid a deadly pile-up on the motorway by making a “forced landing” on the central reservation.
“Although we don’t yet know the exact details of what happened, everything suggests that the skill of the pilot certainly prevented a much greater tragedy,” the mayor said. Enstrom’s 280FX Shark is a lightweight utility helicopter with capacity for up to three people onboard. The 280FX is used by several Latin American military air forces including Chile and Peru.
In a statement on its website, European Rotors confirmed that an Enstrom 280FX helicopter departing from the trade fair at Madrid’s IFEMA fairground complex site had been involved in an accident. The organisation said it “extends its sympathy to all involved”. The trade fair’s third edition, which ran from Tuesday to Thursday, involved more than 200 exhibitors in total.
Helicopters used for fighting forest fires, health emergencies, sea and mountain rescue missions, filming and high-voltage wiring work were on display.