A private helicopter crashed in the early hours of Thursday in a mountainous, forested area of southern Poland, between Limanowa and Mszana Dolna.
The pilot, a man in his thirties, was found dead near the wreckage of the aircraft. According to Polish authorities, there were no passengers on board at the time of the crash.
The helicopter had departed from Radoszyce, Poland, and landed in Bodrogkeresztúr, Hungary, where it dropped off a passenger - a yeshiva student from Boro Park in New York, who was traveling to pray at the gravesite of Rabbi Yeshaya of Kerestir.
After the passenger disembarked, the helicopter took off on its return journey to Zator Airport in Poland. At approximately 1:06 a.m., the aircraft disappeared from tracking systems while flying at high speed and at an altitude of several hundred meters.
A large-scale search operation was launched following the loss of contact, involving firefighters, police officers, mountain rescue units, drone teams, military personnel and off-road vehicles. After several hours, rescuers located the wreckage and found the pilot dead.
Police investigators and Polish aviation authorities are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The incident drew considerable attention in Hasidic communities in the US and Europe, as the yeshiva student had left the helicopter only a short time before the fatal accident.