During the flight, the engine broke down. The TOPR chopper had to crash-land

During Thursday exercises of the Tatra Volunteer Rescue Ambulance 1 of the engines of the rescue chopper kind Sokol broke down. The device had to crash-land at the grassy airport of the fresh marketplace Aeroclub. There were 2 pilots and 2 lifeguards on board. No 1 got hurt.

ToPR president Bolesław Pietrzyk stressed that The current situation highlights a serious problem – rescuers request a fresh helicopter.

"The chopper is frequently the only means of transport in hard terrain, especially under bad weather conditions. In the event of an accident, we must rescue on foot, which means a immense hazard for those in request of help," said Pietrzyk.

ToPR Chief Jan Krzysztof noted that although Sokol machines are no longer manufactured, they are to be serviced by 2035.

‘I received a declaration from Świdnik of full cooperation in repairing. However, everything depends on the result of the assessment of the current fault. possibly we will have a longer halt – knock off. Therefore, we call for swift action on the fresh helicopter," the warden noted.

Due to the expanding tourist movement in the Tatras The TOPR chopper is heavy operated.

"As long as the old Falcon serves, it will prove to be defective. The year is 2025 – the real end of its usage is 2027. We would like to extend this time by 2030-2032, but only to have time to buy a fresh device and train the staff," the warden explained.

Currently, a tender way is being made for the acquisition of helicopters for the Air Rescue Service. The cost of 1 device is estimated at PLN 80 million. TOPR is counting on uncovering a device for mountain rescue as well.

"The chopper for mountain rescue must have peculiar equipment and completely different capabilities than urban action machines. We are ready to act, we have people and competence – we request only a efficient device that will let us to safely carry help“ Jan Krzysztof said.

PAP