2015 Villa Castelli mid-air collision facts for kids
A Eurocopter AS350B3 Écureuil similar to the two involved
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 9 March 2015 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Place | Villa Castelli, La Rioja Province, Argentina 29°01′05″S 68°13′37″W / 29.01806°S 68.22694°W ACoordinates: Extra unexpected parameters |
| Total fatalities | 10 (all) |
| Total survivors | 0 |
| First aircraft | |
| Type | Eurocopter AS350B3 Écureuil |
| Registration | LQ-CGK |
| Passengers | 4 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
| Type | Eurocopter AS350B3 Écureuil |
| Registration | LQ-FJQ |
| Passengers | 4 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On March 9, 2015, two helicopters crashed into each other in the air near Villa Castelli, Argentina. This type of accident is called a mid-air collision. All ten people on board both helicopters died.
The helicopters had just taken off together. They crashed during their first climb into the sky. They were carrying people who worked on and were guests for a French TV show called Dropped. Among those who died were famous French athletes: sailor Florence Arthaud, swimmer Camille Muffat, and boxer Alexis Vastine.
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About the TV Show
The French TV channel TF1 was filming an episode of Dropped. This was a reality TV show where famous people were taken by helicopter to a wild place. The show then filmed them trying to survive.
The people taking part in the show included many Olympic medal winners and international sports stars. Some of these French athletes were Alain Bernard, Philippe Candeloro, Jeannie Longo, and Sylvain Wiltord. Florence Arthaud, Camille Muffat, and Alexis Vastine were also part of the show. A Swiss athlete named Anne-Flore Marxer was also participating.
Filming started in late February 2015 in Ushuaia, which is in the very south of Argentina. Later, the filming moved to Northwest Argentina. This area is in the province of La Rioja, about 1,170 kilometers (727 miles) from the capital city, Buenos Aires. At the time of the accident, Sylvain Wiltord had already left the competition and was back in France.
The Collision Event
Each helicopter was carrying four passengers and one pilot. This meant five people were in each helicopter. Just seconds after taking off together, around 5:15 PM local time, the two helicopters hit each other.
They were climbing at a height of about 100 meters (328 feet) when the collision happened. Both helicopters then fell to the ground. A video of the accident seemed to show that the lower helicopter was climbing faster than the other. It crashed into the helicopter above it from below. The weather conditions at the time were reported to be good.
The Helicopters Involved
The two helicopters that crashed were both Eurocopter AS350B3 Écureuil models. One helicopter had the registration number LQ-CGK. The other was registered as LQ-FJQ.
The helicopter LQ-CGK was made in 2010. It was owned by the government of La Rioja province. The helicopter LQ-FJQ was made in 2012. It was owned by the government of Santiago del Estero province.
People Who Died
All ten people on board both helicopters died in the accident. This included the three famous French athletes: Florence Arthaud, Camille Muffat, and Alexis Vastine.
The other people who died were the two Argentinian pilots. Five French members of the TV show's production team, called Adventure Line Productions, also died. The other people competing in the show were waiting on the ground nearby when the accident happened. They were safe.
Reactions to the Accident
Many people shared their sadness and shock after the accident.
- François Hollande, who was the President of France at the time, said, "The sudden death of our fellow French nationals is a cause of immense sadness."
- Sylvain Wiltord, one of the athletes from the show, wrote on Twitter, "I'm sad for my friends, I'm trembling, I'm horrified, I have no words, I don't want to say anything."
- TF1, the TV channel, released a statement. They said, "All TF1 teams come together in this terrible time with the pain of the families and relatives of the victims."
The Investigation
After the accident, an investigation was started to find out what happened. The Junta de Investigaciones de Accidentes de Aviación Civil (JIAAC) is Argentina's official group that investigates air accidents. They led the investigation. They were helped by the French group that does similar work, called the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA). French legal officials also started their own case.
A politician from the Radical Civic Union party said that LQ-CGK was an official helicopter for La Rioja province. He stated it was only supposed to be used for medical emergencies. The Governor, Luis Beder Herrera, agreed with this. He said the helicopter had been "lent" to a tourism company.
The final report on the accident was released in Spanish, English, and French. It explained the main reasons that led to the collision:
- One helicopter (LQ-FJQ) was flying in a way that blocked the view of the pilot in the other helicopter (LQ-CGK). This made it very hard for the pilot to see.
- There was no proper check of the safety risks for this unusual type of flight. This meant they didn't find and fix the dangers of flying so close for filming.
- The plan for the flight was not good enough. For example, the pilots did not follow the "see and be seen" rule. This rule means pilots should always look out for other aircraft. They also didn't have a plan for what to do if they lost sight of each other.
- There were no clear rules or steps for how to safely do these kinds of flights.
- The helicopters were meant for public services, like medical help. They were used for private filming, which was not their intended purpose.
- The rules about how public aircraft should be used were not followed clearly.
See also
In Spanish: Accidente aéreo de Villa Castelli para niños
- List of civilian mid-air collisions
