Two private helicopters crashed near Eura, southwest Finland, on Saturday, killing all five people on board. The victims included well-known Estonian businessman Oleg Sõnajalg, authorities and local media confirmed, APA reports citing Helsinki Times.
The helicopters, both Robinson R44 models, departed from Tallinn on Saturday morning. They were heading to an aviation event at the Piikajärvi Airfield in Kokemäki, organised by a local flying club.
According to the Finnish police and Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the helicopters collided shortly after midday and crashed into a forested area. The wreckage was found about 100 metres apart.
Preliminary data from flight tracking services show the aircraft flew in close formation for most of the journey. At around 12.30pm, both disappeared from radar near Eura Airfield. Witnesses in the area reported seeing the helicopters fly close together before one abruptly shifted direction and struck the other.
"One of them dropped like a stone," said local resident Antti Marjanen, who contacted emergency services after seeing the collision.
Emergency crews reached the scene quickly. One of the helicopters caught fire on impact. Rescue teams used the smoke to locate the site and soon discovered the second helicopter nearby. The Finnish Defence Forces assisted in securing the area. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is leading the inquiry into the cause of the crash.
Police confirmed that there were two people aboard one aircraft and three in the other. The identities of both pilots are known, but officials are still verifying the identities of the passengers.
One of the pilots was Oleg Sõnajalg, 58, a well-known Estonian entrepreneur in the wind power sector. He was also known for travelling frequently between the mainland and his home on the island of Saaremaa by helicopter. According to aviation sources in Tallinn, he typically piloted his own aircraft.
Sõnajalg was flying a Robinson R44 registered in Estonia under the identifier ES-ETR. The second aircraft, registered as OE-XOS, belonged to Austria. Both helicopters were lightweight four-seater rotorcraft produced by U.S.-based manufacturer Robinson Helicopter Company.
The aircraft took off from a private helipad behind Tallinn’s Linnahall, a Soviet-era structure near the city’s port. It was the former terminal for scheduled helicopter services between Tallinn and Helsinki until a fatal crash in 2005 ended commercial operations. The helipad has since remained in private use.
Local aviation enthusiasts and fishermen near the Linnahall site told Helsingin Sanomat that they saw the helicopters waiting on the tarmac before departing towards Finland.
The crash has shaken Estonia’s small aviation community. Sõnajalg had a long presence in the business world, originally gaining public attention as a member of a religious pop group formed during the late Soviet period. In recent years, he was involved in several high-profile disputes over wind energy developments.
The second pilot has not been officially named, but according to sources in Tallinn, he was a construction entrepreneur with no public profile.
Organisers at the Piikajärvi Airfield confirmed that the two helicopters were expected as part of a group of private guests from Estonia. Around 20 aircraft and 50 participants were anticipated at the weekend event.
“We knew they were en route. Some of the others arrived, but some didn’t,” said Ari Pullinen, chairman of the Pori Aviation Club.
Aviation authorities in Finland and Estonia are coordinating on the investigation. The cause of the crash remains unknown, but early speculation from aviation sources suggests possible human error, weather conditions, or communication issues between the aircraft.
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