This is the terrifying moment a helicopter plunged into a lake in southern Brazil state of Minas Gerais moments after taking off, leaving one person and three others injured.
The charter helicopter departed from a helipad in the municipality of Capitolio and was transporting two passengers to the nearby city of Piumhi.
Footage from a surveillance camera at a ranch showed the aircraft suddenly falling from the sky and diving into Lake Furnas at 9:03 am.
The fatal victim was identified as Vanilton Alves, 44, who was invited by the pilot, Lucas Chaves, to join him on the flight, the Civil Police said.
Locals aided authorities in the search and found his body strapped to a seat about four hours after the tragic accident.
The survivors were identified as Lucas Chaves, who had 600 hours of flying experience, and medical student, Julia Mendonça, 22, and her husband, Leonardo Silva, 27.
A source with knowledge of the investigation told online news portal iBom that xxxxxx was “stable, conscious and calm” but Silva suffered a spine injury and could not move his legs.
Civil Police chief Fábio Csiszner to Brazilian news outlet G1 that Mendonça and Silva were flying to the city of Piumhi, where they were scheduled to take a flight to Rio de Janeiro, where they lived.
Fransuir Batista said he was working on his boat and saw the helicopter lose power and plummeting into the lake.
Chaves, Mendonça and Silva managed to escape the helicopter and were pulled to safety by Batista and a fire department rescue team.
‘I got out quickly and even saw the moment it was sinking,” Batista said. “When I pulled over the boat, I saw the three people in the water. I helped them put them on a friend’s boat.
‘One was screaming in pain, who was the pilot, and I took him for medical attention. When I returned, I arrived with the Rescue Team, who helped the other two injured people.’
The National Civil Aviation Agency said the helicopter, a EC 120 B model, was built in 2009.
The aircraft was part of a fleet owned by Âncora MG Participações Societárias LTDA and had a flying permit that was set to expire in October 2024.
However, the federal agency records showed that the helicopter was not allowed to operate as a taxi.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
