Germany: Airfield employee dies after helicopter accident

BERLIN – Authorities say an employee at an airfield in southern Germany has died after being hit by flying debris when the rotor blades of a military helicopter collided with the facility’s control tower.

Police and prosecutors in Bamberg said the accident happened at the Hassfurt-Schweinfurt airfield on Monday. They said in a statement Tuesday that the German military transport helicopter had landed there to refuel, and the collision happened as the aircraft approached the fueling station.

The four-member helicopter crew was unhurt, but a 60-year-old airfield employee was hit by the debris. He was flown to a hospital and died during the night.