(The Couple. Photo by AOL UK)
The British newlyweds who died in a horrifying helicopter crash while on their honeymoon in Greece have been made public as condolences are expressed.
Along with a Greek pilot, Alexander Cromie, 31, and Marie Ebert, 30, perished on Monday after the plane was shown on camera speeding toward the ground before exploding in a fireball.
At approximately 6:15 p.m. local time, the small private plane crashed while trying to land on a helipad in Sifnos.
As firefighters raced to put out the flames, both Brits and the pilot were pronounced dead at the site.
Alex, who served as a vise president in private wealth solutions for the US-based investment management firm Blackstone, has now received a recognition.
“We are shocked by the tragic passing of three people, including our colleague Alex Cromie and his wife Marie Ebert, who were celebrating their honeymoon,” a company representative stated.
“Everyone who knew and worked with Alex at Blackstone loved him, and his loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers.”
Alex, who was born in Bristol, began his career with banks including Nat West and BNP Paribas after earning a degree in economics from Sheffield University.
After pursuing a career in asset management, private equity, and consulting, Marie was hired in July as a senior specialist in market reputation at prestigious London firm Bain & Co.
They honored the British national by stating: “We are shocked to read tales of an unfortunate tragedy in Greece about one of our colleagues and her husband.
“During this extremely trying time, our thoughts and support are with the families involved.”
Marie, who was born in London and graduated from Exeter University with fluency in German, just secured a senior position at Bain, one of the esteemed “Big Three” consulting firms in the United Kingdom.
Her Facebook profile featured glamorous vacations to the Bahamas, Cap Ferrat in France, and Lake Como in Italy. She had previously worked at the investment firm Coller Capital.
Instead of taking a five-hour boat ride from Markopoulo near Athens to their island honeymoon hideaway, the couple had decided to take a forty-minute helicopter hop.
When firefighters and rescue personnel arrived at the burning wreckage, they confirmed the deaths of both Brits and the pilot, Giorgos Raikos, 55, a father of three and veteran air force pilot.
Raikos was hired two months ago, but according to Greek media, he was “very experienced,” thus mechanical failure was anticipated.
Locals said police they heard a “strange noise” as the helicopter passed over their homes, and the cause of the sad crash is still being investigated.
“According to the testimonies of the residents of the area, they heard the noise of the helicopter, it was a strange noise,” Manolis Fountoulakis, the deputy mayor of Sifnos, told ERTnews.
It most likely suffered an airborne mechanical malfunction. This is because the propeller was producing a loud noise and acting strangely.
These last moments before the deadly collision are currently the focus of investigators.
Authorities are attempting to accurately reconstruct the flight path after it was revealed the small private aircraft crashed close by to its correct landing location.
The Bell 206 helicopter had taken off from Markopoulo in Attica and was scheduled to land at a helipad in Tholos at around 6.20pm local time.
Footage, taken from a nearby home’s security camera, shows that around 6.15pm the pilot started to lose control of the aircraft over the Examela area.
Terrifying video shows the helicopter’s tail perilously circling in mid-air while the propellers battled to steady the aircraft.
The helicopter then suddenly begins to fall from the sky at speed and vanishes behind a tall building.
Huge plumes of black smoke can be seen billowing a few seconds later.
There was reportedly little to no wind at the time with the weather being near-perfect conditions for flying, local media reports.
A local Sifnos resident told The Sun: “I heard a loud noise and smelled something burnt.
“I went out straight away and saw thick black smoke billowing from the site.
“It appears that the pilot lost control before landing the area where it crashed is a densely populated area so if he had realised something was wrong he would have tried to land somewhere else like in Herronisso.
“It looks like he attempted to land but didn’t make it on time.”
Investigations are being led by the National Organization for the Investigation of Air and Railway Accidents and Transport Safety.
A Foreign Office spokesperson told The Sun: “Our thoughts are with the families during this difficult time.
“We are providing consular support and in contact with the Greek authorities.”
