A HERO pilot had a fatal heart attack mid-air – but incredibly still managed to land his helicopter full of sightseers on a volcano before he died.
Igor Kan, 59, fell gravely ill while solo-flying a chopper with three onboard to see the Krasheninnikov volcano in eastern Russia – which erupted this week for the first time in 600 years.
Igor Kan, 59, saved his passengers’ live but lost his own[/caption]
He was flying a tour over Krasheninnikov volcano, which this week erupted for the first time in 600 years[/caption]
The helicopter Igor managed to land in the midst of a heart attack[/caption]
Battling the pain of a heart attack, he bravely made an emergency landing on the volcano to save the lives of his passengers.
The pilot died before an air ambulance could reach him, but the three passengers were safely evacuated.
The Kamchatka prosecutor’s office said: “The pilot of a private helicopter carrying four passengers suffered a heart attack, but managed to make an emergency landing and requested medical assistance.
“The pilot died before the arrival of the medical helicopter.
“He felt unwell during the landing on the volcano.”
Rescuers quickly arrived on the scene after the pilot himself sent out an urgent plea, according to local reports.
But tragically, the heart attack had killed him by the time they arrived.
His three sightseers were unharmed in the ordeal.
Igor offered aerial tours over the the spectacular Krasheninnikov volcano as well as the Valley of the Geysers, one of Russia’s leading tourists sights.
He reportedly charged £4,700 for a seat in the helicopter.
Friends said that he regularly took tourists on private trips in his Robinsons helicopter, and that he underwent regular medical check-ups.
An investigation has been launched into the circumstances of his death.
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