Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

An Enstrom 280FX crashed this morning onto a busy motorway moments after departing the site of this week’s European Rotors conference in Madrid. The helicopter, French registered F-HPUX, had two aboard and was flying from the Ifema Convention Center to the Cuatro Vientos Airfield, just south of the city. It crashed onto a Jersey wall in the median and hit a car just short of a bridge abutment on the M40 at 10:12 a.m. local time.
Both helicopter occupants were injured; one was able to walk off on his own, while the other had to be extracted by emergency personnel. The driver of the car was also injured. The car suffered a smashed windshield and gouge marks while the helicopter, which came to rest on its side, was substantially damaged.&nbsp;None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, according to authorities, but one of the injured was reported to have a broken leg.
Authorities also said a heavy wind gust could have been a factor in the crash. Earlier in the morning, Madrid-Barajas Airport had recorded gusts in excess of 38 knots and high winds were forecast for the area most of the day.&nbsp;
The accident helicopter was one of 20 on display at the conference, which ran from Tuesday to yesterday. It had arrived in Madrid on November 24 from Beziers, France.

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