Helicopter Training Flight Crashes in Rio’s Guaratiba, Killing Three Pilots

Overview

• Authorities say the sortie was for familiarization with the Robinson R44 and confirm Capt. Lucas Silva Souza of the fire department was at the controls when the aircraft went down.
• The dead were identified as Major Sérgio Nunes Miranda of the Air Force, firefighter Capt. Lucas Silva Souza, and instructor Diego Dantas Lima Morais.
• The helicopter was a privately owned Robinson R44 II, registration PS-GJS, which had recent maintenance and valid documentation, according to Cenipa.
• Police and witness accounts indicate the flight departed the Helimar hangar in Recreio, stopped at Clube Céu in Sepetiba for a pilot swap, then performed circuit maneuvers before disappearing.
• The wreckage was found in a wooded, marshy area near Avenida Levy Neves and Rua Tasso da Silveira, and Cenipa is examining the engine, tail and rotor systems with Civil Police oversight as the cause remains undetermined.