Parents pay tribute to ‘gorgeous-hearted’ son, 22, who was killed by helicopter blade as they demand answers from Greek authorities

• Jack Fenton, 22, was struck in the head by helicopter’s rotor blade in Athens
• His parents, Miguel and Tori, say that they miss their ‘gorgeous-hearted’ son
• Robin Stanton-Gleaves who was on the trip said the accident was ‘preventable’

The parents of a British tourist who was killed by a helicopter’s spinning rotor blade in Greece have paid tribute to their ‘absolutely wonderful’ and ‘caring’ son.

Jack Fenton, 22, was struck when he walked behind a helicopter while its engine was still engaged in Athens in July.

He had been returning from a holiday in the popular tourist destination of Mykonos with several friends.

Jack’s parents, Miguel and Tori Fenton, were expecting him home that night and had left the back door open with food in the fridge but were instead woken up by police knocking at the front door.

Greek investigators had said the Oxford Brooks student ran back on to the tarmac after safely disembarking so he could take a selfie, despite warnings from ground crew, and accidentally ran into a whirring blade.

Though the claims have since been withdrawn and there is now an ongoing inquiry into the Oxford Brookes Student’s death. 

Miguel and Tori say that safety protocols weren’t followed by the helicopter company.

Speaking to ITV News they said how they miss their ‘gorgeous-hearted’ son.

The parents (pictured:  Miguel and Tori) of Jack Fenton, 22, who was killed by spinning helicopter blades in Greece have paid tribute to their ‘very funny, thoughtful, caring, absolutely gorgeous-hearted’ son

Jack Fenton’s father, Miguel, said that his son was his best friend and imagining the accident has been ‘brutal’

Pictured: The Bell 407 which was involved in the accident, with red police tape wrapped around the tail 

The tourists had flown from Mykonos to the helipad in Spata and were due to take a private limousine to Eleftherios Venizelos airport

The Oxford Brookes university student, who went to the £36,000-a-year Sutton Valence boarding school in Maidstone, Kent, walked behind the Bell 407 helicopter while its engine was still engaged

Miguel said Jack was his ‘best friend’ and recalled one of their last exchanges on his 22nd birthday, where Jack texted his father ‘Thank you dad for making my birthday the best one ever’.

He said: ‘The thought that that’s it, we’re never going to have that communication again’…’

‘…it doesn’t get worse than that,’ Tori added.

Tori said they are having to defend their son when they shouldn’t have to, ‘we know he’s not that stupid,’ she said adding ‘everybody who was there said it was nothing of the sort’.

Miguel said despite not being in Athens, imagining the accident has been ‘brutal in every manner’.

Family friend Robin Stanton-Gleaves accompanied the boys on the trip to Greece and said the Greek authorities have handled the situation ‘appallingly’ and called the accident ‘preventable’.

He said Jack would still be alive if they had better safety procedures in place, such as turning the rotors off before disembarking or escorting the passengers away from the helicopter if they are still on.

Jack Fenton (circled) is pictured on holiday in Mykonos with his friends before the tragic accident. Also pictured is Max Savage (left), Jack Stanton-Gleaves (top), Max Stanton-Gleaves (middle left), Tom Aitkin (middle right) and Robin Stanton-Gleaves (right)

The young Briton horrifically killed in a helicopter accident in Athens was on holiday with a group of friends

Ioannis Kandyllis, president of Greece’s committee for aviation accidents probing the incident, said previously that Jack defied orders by running back towards the helicopter with his phone to his ear.

He claimed: ‘All four passengers had disembarked and were escorted to a private lounge awaiting a private flight for London.

‘But as they were in the lounge the victim broke away and returned to the tarmac rushing to the helicopter at a fast pace. 

‘Witnesses we spoke to said he was had a phone to his ear and was walking fast to the aircraft, defying ground crew shouting to him ‘Stop! Stop!’

‘Within seconds the tragic accident occurred. It was horrific.’ 

Tori and Miguel are desperate for answers, but the Greek authorities say they will not comment while the investigation are underway.

Jack’s grieving parents are now waiting for the official report to be published before deciding what steps to take next.

Tori said: ‘I don’t want all this swept under a rug, to make sure this doesn’t happen again to anyone else because it’s horrendous.’

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