Helicopter crashes on a major motorway in Madrid after an industry trade show

On December 1, 2023, early in the morning, a helicopter crashed on a major thoroughfare in Madrid. 

The Enstrom 280FX Shark (registration F-HPUX) helicopter was present at European Rotors, a helicopter industry trade show held at the adjacent IFEMA exhibition hall from November 27 to 30, 2023. 

Around 10 a.m. local time, the helicopter left the exhibition areas when, for an unidentified reason, it lost control and crashed in the middle of the M-40 motorway, close to an elevated flyover.  

One of the two injured passengers was able to exit the helicopter on his own, but the other had to be rescued by emergency personnel due to a fractured femur. Additionally, the pilot of a car that was struck when the helicopter struck the ground suffered minor injuries. 

Videos of the moments immediately following the incident were shared on social media by a number of bystanders. 

🚨#ÚltimaHora: el helicóptero Enstrom 280FX Shark con matrícula F-HPUX que participaba en la feria European Rotors que se estaba llevando a cabo en Ifema se ha estrellado en la M40 de Madrid poco después de despegar. El helicóptero ha caído en el punto kilométrico 5.600 del… pic.twitter.com/YVgVkgcCbZ

— On The Wings of Aviation (@OnAviation) December 1, 2023

Being one of the primary routes into the city of Madrid, the six-lane motorway had to be temporarily closed to traffic, causing a severe traffic jam. 

The 280FX Shark is a lightweight, two-seater helicopter with a piston engine. It is the most recent model in the F-28/280FX family of helicopters, which has been produced since the middle of the 1960s by Wisconsin-based independent rotorcraft manufacturer Enstrom. 

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