Rybnice, West Bohemia, Aug 16 (CTK) – A helicopter crashed in a field near the Czech village of Rybnice and the two men aboard died on the spot this afternoon, police spokeswoman Martina Korandova has told CTK.
A spokesman for the regional rescuers confirmed the information.
Rybnice Mayor Tomas Kozel said the accident seemed to concern a rather small private helicopter.
The chopper crashed about 300 metres from the village. Its remains are located in the field in two places that are several hundred metres from one another.
The accident occurred near an airfield in Plasy.
Karel Marik, a member of the Plasy aviation club, said a private four-seat helicopter Robinson Raven 44 took off from the airfield from time to time.
A logo on the wreck seems to show that the helicopter was owned by GES Air that operated the Plasy airfield and offered sightseeing flight tours. According to the firm’s website, it owned Robinson Raven helicopters, too.
The police and the Czech Air Accidents Investigation Institute are trying to identify the cause of the crash.
In March 2015, a Robinson R44 Raven II private helicopter crashed in the same region in the Sumava Mountains near Modrava and the pilot, who was the only person aboard, died. The crash was caused by his mistake. He took off in adverse weather and hit tree tops.