The crash happened on 14 June in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in Rio's western zone, after two helicopters collided in the air and fell near a car dealership parking area, according to AP and CNN Brasil. AP reported, citing firefighters, that all six people aboard the two aircraft died and that one helicopter crashed into a lot where electric vehicles were parked, starting a fire that was extinguished.
CNN Brasil reported that Rio de Janeiro's Civil Police confirmed the fatality list as Tree; Lucas Vignale; Gaspar Prim; Lucas Brito Chaves; Alexandre Souza, a pilot; and Charles Marsillac, a pilot. The outlet reported that five people were in one aircraft and Marsillac was alone in the other. AP said earlier that police had placed Tree on a passenger list given to aviation authorities, while authorities had not yet identified the bodies at the time of that report.
The cause of the collision has not been established. CNN Brasil quoted Brazil's air force as saying that investigators from SERIPA III, the regional arm of the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents, had been sent to conduct an initial action involving the aircraft registered as PP-MAC and PR-DJJ. CNN Brasil also quoted Brazil's civil aviation agency, ANAC, as saying it was checking the status of the aircraft and pilots, while CENIPA would investigate the causes.
The Rio Military Fire Department said one helicopter crashed in the parking lot of a dealership, AP reported. CNN Brasil reported, citing preliminary police and fire-service information, that about 20 vehicles caught fire and that firefighters were called at 8:59 a.m. local time. Al Jazeera, citing fire-service spokesman Fabio Contreiras, reported that the batteries in the electric vehicles complicated the firefighting effort and that one aircraft was found among the burning cars while the other was about 100 metres away.