Man dies after German military helicopter collision
April 10, 2018
An airport worker died after a Bundeswehr, armed forces helicopter collided with a traffic control tower at an airport in the southern German state of Bavaria, local police said on Tuesday.
The accident occurred shortly after the transport helicopter landed at Hassfurt-Schweinfurt airport in northern Bavaria just after 10 a.m. local time (0800 UTC) on Monday.
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On its way to a refueling station, the helicopter's spinning blades hit the control tower, raining shrapnel and debris on the surrounding area and hitting the attendant.
The critically injured man died of his wounds hours later after being airlifted to a nearby hospital.
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The transport helicopter's four-man crew was uninjured and has been received psychological counseling.
The Bundeswehr and the police are currently investigating the scene of the accident to determine what caused the collision.
A police spokesman said total damages to nearby aircraft and buildings were likely to be more than a million euros ($1.2 million) and added that Hassfurt-Schweinfurt airport would be closed "until further notice."
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