A helicopter and a plane collided in mid-flight in an area located above Saint-Pierre-d'Albigny, in Savoie, this Thursday around noon.
This accident is all the more rare because everyone escaped unscathed.
“More fear than harm
,” assured Jean-Marc Savoy, witness to the emergency landing of the helicopter, to Dauphiné Libéré.
The plane, a collector's model belonging to an association, was able to land with long cuts along the fuselage and at the left wing root on their departure airfield.
The pilot and his passenger planned to take a trip to Montmélian after taking off from the Albertville-Tournon aerodrome.
The helicopter, a Dauphin model based in Grimaud, Annecy or Courchevel depending on needs, had just picked up six Polish passengers at Chambéry airport.
He made an emergency landing in a field near the D201 in Saint-Jean-de-la-Porte, in Savoie.
“I saw the plane leave on one wing, pitch up then leave on the other wing and the helicopter go into a crab attitude to make a fairly rapid descent”
reports the witness.
"Miracle"
The gendarmerie air transport brigade has opened an investigation to determine the causes of the accident.
According to Gérald Thévenon, manager of the Albertville aerodrome,
“there was an avoidance on the part of the helicopter
,” he explained to France 3
.
“The rotor hit the wing of the plane and severely damaged it
,” he added.
The passengers are shocked, but not injured.
“After a collision in the air, it’s a miracle,”
said Gérald Thévenon, who praised the
“coolness of the two pilots who knew how to apply emergency procedures.”