A helicopter crash in the Swiss Alps was survived by two British brothers after a fellow passenger pushed them from the chopper. The crash ‘may have been caused by a mechanical error’.
Courage brewing heir Edward Courage, 68, was alongside brothers Guy and Ted Hutchings when the helicopter they were in plowed into a rock face.
Upon receiving the 406 ELT’s SIT 185 NOCR and FIRST Position Alert, ARCC Zürich verified with the operator that they had lost contact with the pilot.
Search and rescue was immediately launched as it was known that the helicopter was involved in heliskiing at high altitudes.
Another helicopter pilot spotted the wreckage and initiated alerting but the 406 ELT had already provided the first alert and SAR actions were already underway.
The helicopter slid down a rock face where it was overtaken by an avalanche and would have been hard to locate without the ELT’s homing signal.
In total, seven helicopters were tasked for the search of the persons who had been on board.
Out of the six persons on board, three were rescued, injured but alive.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13280985/Swiss-Alps-helicopter-crash-two-Brit-brothers-survived-Courage-brewing-heir-pushed-chopper-caused-mechanical-error-expert-claims.html?ito=email_share_article-top