Greece
Kalymnos: Army UH-1H helicopter makes hard landing – all six on board safe, including the 80th Island Command’s commander
An Army Aviation UH-1H helicopter made a hard landing at the Kalymnos helipad on October 22. All six on board, among them the commander of the 80th Higher Command of National Guard Battalions, are safe and the cause is under investigation, the Hellenic Army General Staff said.
A UH-1H helicopter of the 1st Army Aviation Brigade made a hard landing at 10:25 on Thursday morning, October 22, at the helipad of the Kalymnos Island Air Command. According to the announcement of the Hellenic Army General Staff (HAGS), the helicopter was on a surveillance flight in the area of responsibility of the 80th Higher Command of National Guard Battalions (80 ADTE) “KOS”.
“The helicopter’s crew is in good health and was taken to the Kalymnos Health Centre as a precaution. The causes and circumstances of the incident are under investigation,” says the statement signed by HAGS press spokesman Colonel Panagiotis Karampelas. The 1st Army Aviation Brigade, to which the helicopter belongs, bears the name “Kilkis-Lachanas”, after the battle of the Second Balkan War in 1913, and is the large unit that brings together the Army’s helicopters.
The helicopter dropped from a low height, about three metres, according to ERT. Six people were on board, among them the commander of the 80 ADTE, Brigadier General Grigoris Garoufalias. The incident raised an alarm on the island, but the low height limited the consequences. The UH-1H is a single-engine Bell utility helicopter designed in the 1960s, carrying a crew and about ten passengers or cargo, and used for transport, air ambulance flights and surveillance. In Greece it is operated by Army Aviation units across the country, with an emphasis on the islands.
Surveillance in the Dodecanese
The 80 ADTE, based on Kos, is responsible for the defence of Kos, Kalymnos, Leros and the surrounding Dodecanese islands, facing the Turkish coast. Army Aviation helicopters regularly fly surveillance missions in the area and carry commanders and personnel between the islands. They also support the major exercises in the Aegean, such as “Kolossos”, with which the Armed Forces demonstrated their deterrent capability on the islands.
The UH-1H, known as the Huey, has flown in Greek colours for decades and still makes up a large part of Army Aviation’s transport helicopter fleet. Replacing it is one of the priorities of the armament programme: the US approved the sale of 35 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Greece, which will take over the transport missions. Until the new helicopters arrive, the Hueys will continue to meet the needs of units on the Aegean islands, where distances and weather make flying demanding for crews and machines.