Overview

• The helicopter went down around 19:10 on August 24 during an ecopage maneuver to refill its bambi bucket while responding to a fire threatening a home in Rosporden.
• The pilot and an onboard firefighter escaped the cabin and reached the shore with help from witnesses, including a paddleboarder, and were taken to Quimper for shock without serious injuries.
• Authorities deployed anti-pollution booms around the inverted aircraft, reported only a small oil leak, and said the fuel tank was not breached.
• A specialist team is surveying the site, including drone imagery, to determine how to extract the submerged helicopter, with options under study and the area secured.
• An official investigation is underway into the circumstances of the crash, and a replacement helicopter is being put into service to maintain aerial firefighting capability.