Italian pilot injured in helicopter crash

BERAT, Aug. 14 – A helicopter owned by an oil exploration company crashed in a mountainous area of Berat County, injuring its Italian pilot, police said. Police said the helicopter was transporting oil material to an exploration site when it crashed on a hillside near the village of Terpan.
Police say that the pilot received only light injuring and was moved to a hospital in Berat and then to Tirana. The Italian pilot, Lucca Calderini, 46, suffered a broken leg, Albanian media reported.
Authorities said they are conducting an investigation as to the cause of the crash. At first hand it appears the helicopter’s blade touched the side of the hill as it was flying very close to the ground at the time of the crash.
Canadian company Petromanas Energy Inc. said the helicopter was working for its exploration operations at the time and was operated by a contractor inAlbania, Geotec Spa.
“The helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from its operations base inAlbania. The aircraft was not carrying any seismic equipment at the time and only the pilot, who suffered unspecified but believed to be non-life threatening injuries, was on board. The pilot was removed from the aircraft and transported to hospital in Tirana where his condition is being assessed further. No other injuries have been reported at this time,” the company said in a statement. Investigators from the Albanian Civil Aviation Authority, Geotec, and the third-party helicopter contractor are currently on location to determine the cause of the incident. The company is monitoring the situation and will cooperate with the investigation. Seismic operations have been temporarily suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. It is not known when seismic operations will recommence, according to the Canadian oil and gas company focused on the exploration and development of its assets inAlbania.