A HELICOPTER PILOT has fallen to his death during an air show near the city of Liege in Belgium.
The tragic incident occurred at a public parachute display by the 4th Engineers Battalion of the Amay region, near Liege, yesterday afternoon.
Belgian broadcaster RTBF reports that the man’s co-pilot had been preparing to drop three paratroopers for a parachute jump and was observing the conditions outside the Agusta AW109 helicopter immediately prior to doing so.
Once the the paratroopers had left the plane the co-pilot turned to his left only to discover that the other pilot was gone and the door of the helicopter was open.
The co-pilot immediately regained control of the helicopter and landed it safely before raising the alarm.
The dead man fell several hundred metres without a parachute.
His body was found earlier today in a heavily wooded area following a search involving 50 police officers.
An investigation into what happened is under way, but no further details are expected before an autopsy is carried out on the body early tomorrow.
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