Milos: pilot gives explanations over Sarakiniko

New developments occurred on Monday, August 10 in the helicopter landing case at Sarakiniko beach on Milos. The pilot of the helicopter appeared at noon at the Civil Aviation Authority to give explanations following the incident on Friday afternoon, August 7, when the aircraft landed at the site and passengers, tourists, disembarked for swimming. The incident was recorded on video and provoked strong reactions.

The case now has two aspects. The Prosecutor of the Aegean Appeals Court ordered the conduct of an urgent preliminary inquiry, through the Prosecutor of Syros, to determine whether a punishable act was committed. At the same time, the Civil Aviation Authority is examining the helicopter’s flight plan and the content of its communications with Milos’ control tower, so as to clarify whether the landing had been approved and under what exactly terms.

Initially the pilot and the helicopter owner did not appear on Monday, requesting an extension through their lawyer. Ultimately the pilot came at noon on the same day to the Civil Aviation Authority, where he gave his first explanations. According to what has become known, he is expected to file a written report on the incident by Wednesday, August 12. The aircraft owner has not appeared so far.

Sarakiniko is among the most frequented spots on Milos, with white volcanic landscape and without organized infrastructure. The landing on an open beach, in the middle of August, became the center of reactions. As it was publicly stated, helicopters transporting visitors to the island usually land in the Alykes area, at a distance of five to eight kilometers from the specific beach.

For Milos the issue is not only aeronautical. It concerns the way in which tourist pressure meets public spaces without related infrastructure, in a peak period. The judicial developments go through Syros, where the competent district prosecutor’s office is located, while the incident has opened a broader discussion about beach use in the Cyclades during the months with the greatest visitation.

Available testimonies clash on a critical point: whether there were swimmers at the landing site. Michalis Kyritsis, who recorded the video, stated that at that time at Sarakiniko there were hundreds of people. In contrast, helicopter pilot Tzortzis Chiotakis stated to Alpha that the captain requested and obtained permission from the control tower and that no one was at the site. This contradiction has not been resolved.

The next step is the pilot’s written report to the Civil Aviation Authority, expected by Wednesday, August 12, and the completion of the preliminary inquiry ordered by the Prosecutor of the Aegean Appeals Court. From these two aspects it will be determined whether administrative sanctions will be imposed and whether criminal prosecution will be brought. Until the inspections are completed, criminal responsibility has not been attributed to anyone involved.