The pilot of the DGT helicopter that crashed in Almería was landing to eat at a restaurant

MADRID, 24 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The pilot of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) helicopter that crashed on August 11 in Almería had an accident during a landing maneuver in an area near a restaurant in the municipality of La Mojonera, which he had previously called to reserve a table for lunch.

This is stated in a preliminary report published on the website of the Ministry of Transport, consulted by Europa Press, which states that the landing took place in an "unprepared area" and that the dust raised by the movement of the rotor caused the accident. "The two occupants were unharmed and the helicopter was destroyed," this document indicates.

"The pilot decided to land to eat next to a restaurant that he had previously called by phone. During the landing in an unprepared area, the movement of the main rotor caused a cloud of dust, the pilot losing visual references to the terrain, which that caused the impact of the tail rotor with a tree and the subsequent fall to the ground", he points out verbatim.

The preliminary report has been prepared by the Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission, an independent collegiate body, administratively attached to the Undersecretariat of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.

On the day of the accident, on August 11, sources from the unified emergency service 112 indicated that the accident occurred around 12:40 p.m., when they had been alerted to the fall of a helicopter in the parking area of ​​the Cortijo Blanco bar, near to the A-7 and close to a gas station.

The loss of control due to a wind blow was then considered as a hypothesis, although the preliminary report points to a landing in an unauthorized area and the cloud of dust generated by the maneuver. The EUROCOPTER AS355 model helicopter, which had taken off from the Almería airport, was destroyed and could not resume surveillance tasks.

The wrecked ship is based at the Malaga Traffic Management Center, from where coverage is provided to the Almeria area. In this case, it had been mobilized for surveillance and control tasks on the occasion of the Dreambeach Villaricos electronic music festival that is held in Cuevas del Almanzora, some 120 kilometers away by road.

The information from the Ministry of Transport is preliminary, "subject to changes or corrections that may occur during the investigation." The department specifies that another technical report will contain the conclusions of the investigation.

Last March, another DGT pilot was arrested and brought to justice for flying under the influence of cocaine and amphetamines when he suffered an accident while making an emergency landing in the town of Robledo de Chavela (Madrid).