The spectacular salvage of the rescue helicopter Christophorus 1, which was carried out in Axamer Lizum on Saturday, now has legal consequences for the operator and the salvage company. The background is that a permit from the traffic department of the state of Tyrol would have been necessary, but this was not obtained.
The Christophorus 1 went on Friday, January 6th, 2023, during a deployment in the Axamer Lizum AOG. Some warning lights that shouldn't have been lit indicated errors. Another helicopter was requested for the patient and technicians rushed to help for the ÖAMTC helicopter. They could not solve the problem on site, so a company from Switzerland was commissioned. This "flog” took the Christophorus 1 to Innsbruck with the help of a transport helicopter.
The spectacular action caused a stir and the ÖAMTC was obviously very keen to repair the rescue helicopter as quickly as possible and put it back into service. However, the bureaucracy was obviously forgotten, because a permit would have to be obtained from the traffic department of the state of Tyrol for the salvage operation. According to a report in the Tiroler Tageszeitung, that was not done.
And so it is that the Innsbruck-Land district authority has initiated an investigation. The police have been commissioned to carry this out. Specifically, the salvage company from Switzerland is accused of failing to obtain a permit and the salvage is said to have been carried out illegally. If the authorities' allegations are confirmed, a fine could be imposed on them.