Simon Hunter
A PILOT for one of Spain’s traffic helicopters, which are used to detect infractions on the road, has been arrested after crashing his aircraft on Sunday and subsequently testing positive for cocaine and methamphetamine.
The Pegasus helicopter from the DGT traffic authority suffered the accident in Robledo de Chavela in the Madrid region as the pilot tried to make an emergency landing.
While the pilot was unhurt, the camera operator onboard suffered mild injuries due to the accident.
The 60-year-old suspect, a former firefighter named as Luis Vidal by radio network Cadena SER, fled the scene of the accident before the Civil Guard could arrive and test him for alcohol and narcotics.
He travelled to a nearby municipality on the outskirts of Madrid, Villanueva de la Cañada, where he tried to hide in the residence of a relative.
According to El Periodico de España, which broke the story, he was later located by a Civil Guard patrol who tested him for alcohol and drugs. They found evidence of cocaine and methamphetamine in his system.
After his arrest on Monday, he was today released on conditional bail. Vidal will now face possible charges for air safety offences, according to news agency EFE.
Read more:
Driver walks away from van following 60 metre ravine plunge on Spain’s Costa Blanca
Helicopter hoists out trapped horse from ditch on Spain’s Costa Blanca
