TIRANA, April 6 – A military helicopter crashed on Wednesday at Shkodra Lake in northern Albania killing the two pilots on board, while a third soldier remained injured in the incident.
The helicopter had left base around noon at Farka in the outskirts of Tirana and lost all contact around 1:45 pm, when it presumably crashed. The helicopter had been in service since November 2015 and was on a training mission for search and rescue operations before the tragic event.
The bodies of the deceased pilots were later recovered from the lake, while the soldier wounded in the crash is receiving treatment for non-life threatening injuries at the hospital.
Chief of General Staff Major General Jeronim Bazo said that the flight itinerary of the helicopter was within the planned trajectory of the training mission, while he added that there will be a full investigation to shed light on the crash.
“The two pilots had considerable experience and have received thorough training both in Albania and abroad. We are still collecting evidence, while it is still early to determine a possible cause of the crash,” Major Bazo told the media.
Bazo also stated that the aircraft had undergone all maintenance checks prior to the fatal accident.
The EC 145 helicopter was purchased in France as part of a deal between the Albanian government and its manufacturer EuroCopter and had been in service for only six months.
