Fatal helicopter collision in Finland followed dangerous manoeuvres

Dangerous manoeuvres and a failure to follow group-flight procedures preceded a collision between two helicopters that killed five people in Finland, an investigation found, ERR reported.

The two Robinson R44 helicopters left the Linnahall heliport in Tallinn at 11:17 on May 17, 2025, bound for Piikajärvi airfield in Finland. Priit Jaagant, his wife and Mihkel Kapp were aboard one helicopter; Oleg Sõnajalg and Tiit Kuusk were in the other.

The helicopters were flying together and collided near Eura airfield at 12:34, at an altitude of about 200 metres. All five people on board died.

The Finnish Safety Investigation Authority and Estonia’s Safety Investigation Bureau presented their findings on Tuesday. Investigators said the helicopters flew in a manner resembling formation flight but did not follow its principles. The pilots had not agreed in advance on the aircraft’s positions or on how the flight would be conducted, and no group-flight leader had been appointed.

The helicopters’ positions changed repeatedly during the flight. Finnish lead investigator Janne Kotiranta said the dangerous manoeuvres could have caused a collision as early as over the Gulf of Finland. Without agreed positions and procedures, investigators said, it is very difficult to predict another aircraft’s movements, increasing the risk of a collision.

After one hour and 16 minutes in flight, the helicopters approached Eura airfield. The helicopter carrying Jaagant, which was flying on the left, suddenly turned sharply right and north, while the other continued in its original direction. They collided over the northeastern corner of the airfield.

Investigators found that the pilots were unaware of each other’s intentions and did not see one another before the collision. A reconstruction by the Finnish authority indicated that the passenger beside the pilot of the helicopter that veered right may have obstructed the pilot’s view. The pilots may also have been distracted by the aircraft’s controls, conversations with passengers, activity at the airfield or preparations for arrival.

The emergency response was launched after an airfield worker called emergency services at 12:35, reporting that the helicopters had collided about one kilometre north of the airfield and had partly broken apart in the air. The wreckage lay in dense spruce forest, about 150 metres from the nearest forest road and roughly 100 metres apart. A paramedic and a doctor from a medical helicopter pronounced those on board dead at the scene.

Investigators could not determine from the helicopter systems whether autopilot had been used, though they said it may have been used during some part of the flight.