An EH-101 Merlin helicopter from the Danish Armed Forces lost a hatch while on its way to Rigshospitalet, Denmark's most advanced hospital, Danish Radio reported. The helicopter had a patient on board, and the hatch reportedly fell off while it was approaching the hospital, flying over a congested city neighborhood.
The helicopter flew low over Israel Square before it dropped the hatch into a courtyard near the Labor Museum on Rømersgade Street.
"There was a loud bang. I thought it was a bomb. I looked down into the courtyard, where there was a door from a helicopter. Subsequently, I called the police," a witness told the tabloid newspaper Extra Bladet.
Other witnesses told Ekstra Bladet that they were eating ice cream on Kultorvet Square when they observed the helicopter.
"We saw it flying very low. We suddenly see that something falls off and swings around in the air. We rushed to the yard and saw a door from the helicopter," witness Rene Solbjerg said.
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Defense Command press officer Søren Lindhardt said that it was not possible to establish the exact reason for the incident.
"On board they had a person who had been raised from the water at Kalevehaven in Stege. He was being flown to Rigshospitalet, and while approaching, the helicopter lost the door," Claus Elberth of the Defense Operations Center said.
After a preliminary investigation, the hatch was transported to the town of Roskilde, where the helicopter crew was interviewed. The accident will be looked into by the Danish Accident Investigation Authority, as it involved a civil aircraft.
Helikopter fra Forsvaret tabte luge over København https://t.co/toFoSpeEOU pic.twitter.com/wgY4n7JCr7
— Jyllands-Posten (@jyllandsposten) 30 июня 2018 г.
The Agusta Westland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy and used in both military and civil applications. Prior to 2007, the aircraft had been marketed under the designation EH101 and is known as Merlin to some operators, such as Denmark, the UK or Portugal.
In 2001, the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) announced the purchase of 14 EH101s. Following an emergency landing due to a drive shaft breakage, the Danish fleet of EH101s was grounded and its security debated. A previous RDAF report indicated inadequate operational availability due to inadequate maintenance and staff shortages.
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