Only around a dozen privately owned helicopters are registered in Estonia, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

Globally, fewer accidents happen with commercial flights than with privately owned aircraft and particularly with helicopters, as private aviation is subject to more lenient regulations and not intensively monitored to the extent the commercial sector is.

Private pilots bear a much higher proportion of responsibility, too.

Karl-Eerik Unt, air accident investigator at the national Safety Investigation Bureau (OJK), said: "Eighty-five to ninety percent of fatalities are caused in private aviation. The odds are disproportionately tilted toward private flying," adding that most incidents are caused by human error.

Over the past six to seven years, the Transport Administration (Transpordiamet) has received 12 reports of deviation incidents, plus 11 reports of irregular situations involving private helicopters.

Over the longer term, "since 2004, there have been four accidents that could be counted as such, and more minor incidents," Unt continued.

The most recent fatal accident in Estonia happened two years ago, when one person died in a gyrocopter crash.

In 2021, a helicopter was destroyed when its main rotor blades struck the ground.

The number of privately owned helicopters in Estonia is modest, too, at least nowadays. Whereas a few years ago the media reported a "helicopter boom," as of this week there were 11 privately owned helicopters registered in Estonia, with an additional four to five regularly flying here but which are registered in other states.

A couple of helicopters are owned by people who have hired dedicated pilots, as well as some aircraft that have been purchased jointly.

Both the helicopters involved in Saturday's fatal accident in Finland were the Robinson 44 model, a common choice for personal helicopters.

Üllar Salumäe, Director of the Aviation Service at the Transport Administration, said: "The Robinson 44, two of which were involved in Saturday's accident, is a fairly common private helicopter — four seats, relatively easy to manage, and not the costliest."

Pilot and instructor Tõnis Lepp meanwhile said while there are helicopters owned in Estonia which cost millions when new, Robinsons cost around €700,000 when purchased new, and have a functional lifespan of a little over a decade.

"When that lifespan is up, you have two options: Either carry out a complete overhaul — and that costs nearly the same as buying a new model, or just give it away — to a museum, a café, wherever," Lepp went on.

An additional attraction for helicopter ownership here is that despite their relatively short range – for instance a recent TV drama depicting Soviet helicopters flying from Moscow to deal with the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor fire did so inaccurately — Estonia is compact enough to be able to fly from one end of the country to the other without having to refuel.

In a larger country such as Finland, a private plane would make more sense. On the other hand, measure for measure, Lepp said, planes are considerably cheaper.

"A helicopter is on average three times more expensive than a comparable airplane with the same number of seats," he noted.

In general in Estonia, private helicopter owners are passionate enthusiasts and not solely looking for a way to get from a) to b), save for perhaps the two owners who employ pilots.

Helicopter incidents and accidents are also rarer than those involving the lightest craft such as gyrocopters, paragliders and hang gliders.

Two helicopters which had set off from Estonia collided at an altitude of around 300 meters, close to Eura, western Finland, at lunchtime on Saturday. All five occupants perished. They have been named as wind energy businessman Oleg Sõnajalg, construction company board chair Priit Jaagant, Lilit Jaagant, the latter's wife, motorsports competitors Tiit Kuusk and Mihkel Kapp.

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