Two helicopters collided in mid-air in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, west of Rio de Janeiro, on Sunday morning (14), resulting in the aircraft crashing into the yard of a dealership. The tragic accident caused the death of all six people on board, including renowned American singer Oliver Tree, on an international tour, other artists, foreign influencers and two pilots with extensive experience.
Details about the fatal accident in Rio de Janeiro
The aerial collision occurred on the morning of Sunday, June 14, and the Fire Department was alerted at 8:59 am. Residents in the region reported hearing a loud explosion before seeing falling debris, followed by a column of smoke.
Aircraft impact location
The two aircraft crashed onto Avenida das Américas, in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes area, approximately one hundred meters from each other. The crash occurred in the parking lot of a car dealership, and pieces of the helicopters were found hundreds of meters from the main point of impact.
Profile of fatal accident victims
The tragedy resulted in six deaths, with five of the victims being on one of the aircraft. Below are the names of the people who lost their lives:
- Alexandre Souza:Pilot of one of the helicopters involved.
- Charles Marsilac:Pilot of the other aircraft, he was from Rio and began his professional career in aviation in 2007. He had a history in music, with compositions for soundtracks and collaborations with bands.
- Oliver Tree:American singer who was on an international tour and had performed in São Paulo days before the incident.
- Lucas Brito Chaves Fleet:Brazilian music producer and DJ, he lived in the United States and was the stepson of a TRE-RJ judge.
- Gaspar Prim (Gaspi):Digital influencer and comedian of Argentine nationality.
- Lucas Vignale:Argentine filmmaker, responsible for directing Gaspi’s videos and had a feature film shown at an international film festival in 2026.
Planned route for each aircraft before collision
The helicopter under the command of Alexandre Souza was carrying the four passengers (Oliver Tree, Lucas Frota, Gaspi and Lucas Vignale) and had just taken off towards Angra dos Reis, on the coast of Rio de Janeiro. In turn, the aircraft piloted by Charles Marsillac departed from Santos Dumont Airport and would head to the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro, where it would board other passengers.
Last minute: passenger cancels flight to Angra dos Reis
Music producer Victor Wao reported on his social networks that he was scheduled to be on the flight to Angra dos Reis. However, he chose not to board at the last minute due to concerns. His friend Lucas Frota offered him the alternative of going by car, and another individual ended up taking his place on the aircraft.
Impact and material damage to the dealership after the fall
The crash of the aircraft caused a highly complex fire, exacerbated by the presence of batteries from electric vehicles parked at the dealership. According to the Fire Department, fifteen cars were completely incinerated and another five suffered significant damage. To contain the flames, it was necessary to use an amount of water between three and four times greater than usual, due to the intense temperature and toxic gases released by the batteries, in addition to the fire in one of the helicopters.
Irregularities and profile of the aircraft involved in the accident
Both helicopters had their airworthiness documentation up to date, but neither had authorization to operate as an air taxi. The aircraft models are:
- PP-MAC prefix:Model Bell 206B, manufactured in 1999 (carried the group of artists).
- PR-DJJ prefix:Model AS 350 B2, manufactured in 2012 (piloted by Charles Marsillac).
The PR-DJJ helicopter operated in a regime considered irregular by the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac). Its owner, Maurício da Cunha e Silva Espíndola Dias, had signed a term of commitment with the city hall in April 2025.
This agreement provided for an exchange: the businessman would provide one hour of flight to the municipality for every 24 landings at the public helipad at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, or every 60 days. Anac clarified that, as it was registered in the TPP (Private Transport of People) category, the aircraft could not receive any type of economic or commercial compensation, whether direct or indirect, such as the use of valued infrastructure. The agency is evaluating the legality of this exchange model, adopted by the municipal government with several operators, although the accident flight had no connection with the city’s service.
Entities responsible for the investigation and initial hypotheses
The Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa), a body of the Brazilian Air Force, together with the Civil Police, are leading the investigations. The initial line of investigation suggests a mid-air collision caused by human error on the part of at least one of the pilots.
The mayor of Rio, Eduardo Cavaliere (PSD), highlighted that the two pilots involved were highly experienced professionals, with extensive careers and who even worked as flight instructors, classifying the incident as a regrettable fatality.
Helicopter air traffic scenario in the Rio de Janeiro region
Experts point out that local aircraft traffic is organized by visual corridors established by the Airspace Control Department (Decea), which function as “virtual avenues” with defined one-way and wrong-way directions.
Residents of Recreio dos Bandeirantes reported that aircraft often fly very close to each other in the region. The Fire Department confirmed that it had noticed an increase in the flow and number of accidents involving helicopters in the Barra da Tijuca and Recreio areas, which requires greater preparation from rescue agencies.
