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Argentina La Rioja: Ten dead as helicopters crash
Topic Started: 10 Mar 2015, 12:20 AM (45 Views)
skibboy
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9 March 2015

Argentina La Rioja: Ten dead as helicopters crash

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It appears the helicopters may have collided

Two helicopters have crashed in north-west Argentina, killing at least 10 people during the filming of a TV programme, police say.

They crashed near the provincial centre, Villa Castelli, 1,170km (720 miles) from Buenos Aires, Security Secretary Cesar Angulo said.

The authorities believe the helicopters may have collided, he added.

Local media say the passengers were French, taking part in an international endurance and survival competition.

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The contest takes place each year in the province and is televised internationally.

Both pilots were also killed, local media report.

One helicopter reportedly belonged to the provincial authorities.

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skibboy
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10 March 2015

Stunned France probes deadly Argentina helicopter crash

Prosecutors in France have opened a manslaughter investigation after two helicopters crashed in Argentina, killing eight French nationals.

Three well-known French sports personalities were among those killed in the collision, which also claimed the lives of the two Argentine pilots.

French President Francois Hollande said it was "a cause of immense sadness".

Both helicopters were involved in the filming of TV survival show Dropped, which airs on French channel TF1.

On the show, celebrities are flown into rough terrain and filmed while they attempt to find food and shelter.

Yachtswoman Florence Arthaud, Olympic swimmer Camille Muffat and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine were the show's celebrities on board at the time of the crash.

They all died.

Other contestants were standing on the ground blindfolded a few hundred metres away when the accident happened near Villa Castelli in La Rioja province, French media said.

Reports in Argentina said French swimmer Alain Bernard, who was also taking part in the show, narrowly escaped the crash after getting off one of the helicopters at the last minute to avoid overloading it.

The five other French nationals killed were said to have worked for Adventure Line Productions (ALP), the company making the programme.

They were named as Laurent Sbasnik, Lucie Mei-Dalby, Volodia Guinard, Brice Guilbert and Edouard Gilles.

The Argentine pilots were named as Juan Carlos Castillo and Roberto Abate.

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The three sports stars killed

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From left to right: Camille Muffat, Alexis Vastine and Florence Arthaud

Camille Muffat, 25, won three medals, including gold in the 400m freestyle in the 2012 London Olympics.

She retired from competitive swimming in 2014.

Alexis Vastine, 28, won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the light-welterweight category.

He was narrowly beaten in the quarter-finals of the 2012 Games.

Florence Arthaud, 57, was a hugely accomplished sailor, winning the 1990 Route du Rhum, the prestigious solo Atlantic race.

A serious car accident put her in a coma when she was 17.


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Emergency workers had removed all of the bodies from the wreckage by Tuesday afternoon, reports the BBC's Ignacio de los Reyes.

Local authorities said they were being taken to a morgue in the capital of La Rioja province, about 300km (200 miles) from the crash site.

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The cause of the crash is as yet unclear and investigations are under way.

The inquiry in France is standard procedure when its nationals die overseas.

President Hollande is sending two investigators and two aeronautical advisors to Argentina to assist in finding out what went wrong.

'Great athletes'

Tributes have poured in to the dead stars from France and beyond.

"We are shocked by this sad news," said Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee.

"The world of sport and the Olympic family have lost three of their key members," he said, calling them champions and role models.

British round-the-world yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur told the BBC: "Florence's view was that the sea is out there and it's there for the taking.

"You know, I'm sure she's inspired many, many people," she added.

'Miss 100%'

British swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who took bronze when Muffat won gold in the 400m freestyle at the London 2012 Olympics, said she was "terribly saddened".

"She was very inspiring, a tough competitor, extremely talented and [a] friendly person." Adlington wrote on her blog. "She was always so genuine and gracious."

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Camille Muffat raced against British swimmer Rebecca Adlington (right) at the 2012 Olympics

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The accident happened in the remote, rugged province of La Rioja, close to the Andes mountains

Muffat's boyfriend, William Forgues, said she was often called "Miss 100%" because "she won everything".

"She went on this trip so happy. It was her choice to be there," he told reporters.

Filming for the TV programme began late last month at Ushuaia in the deep south of Argentina and had since moved to the mountainous western province of Rioja.

One cast member, figure skater Philippe Candeloro, was said to be "extremely shocked but unharmed".

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Reaction: Lucy Williamson, BBC News, Paris

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The three sports stars killed are shown here on the right-hand side of this image taken as they were leaving for Argentina. It was uploaded by French Olympian Philippe Candeloro (middle left)

The death of the three sports stars and five other French nationals was splashed across every paper, every news bulletin.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls tweeted his "immense sadness" saying "all France is grieving this morning".

Meanwhile Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin told the BFM-TV news channel that the three athletes were "among the most outstanding ambassadors for our country".

Former Arsenal and France striker Sylvain Wiltord, who was taking part in the current series, said: "I'm trembling, I can't talk. I'm horrified."

But amid the horror there are also the first signs of anger.

Well-known musician Benjamin Bioley has criticised what he called a "horrible TV reality show that serves up cardboard stars and then steals three wonderful athletes".

As the country begins to absorb the news, the questions over this incident and the circumstances that led to it will only grow.

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Officials have said the weather conditions in the mountainous area where the helicopters went down were good.

"An explosion occurred and it's believed that they must have collided,'' said La Rioja Secretary of Security Cesar Angulo. "Aeronautical experts will have to determine that," he added.

TF1 said it had postponed the show and the rest of the crew were returning home.

"All TF1 teams come together in this terrible time with the pain of the families and relatives of the victims," it said in a statement.

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Helicopter crashes on location

-2006: Cameraman Roland Schlotzhauer dies when the helicopter he is in hits power lines and crashes in a field in Iowa during filming of baseball movie The Final Season

-2011: A helicopter filming for digital television G4's Campus PD reality series crashes into student housing at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, killing cameraman Greg Jacobsen

-2012: American cinematographer Mike deGruy and Australian TV writer-producer Andrew Wight are killed when their helicopter crashes on takeoff in eastern Australia

-2013: Three people are killed - pilot David Gibbs, cameraman Darren Rydstrom and cast member Michael Donatelli - when their helicopter crashes in Los Angeles County during the filming of a new reality TV show for the Discovery Channel

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skibboy
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11 March 2015

Argentine pilot in helicopter crash had 'vast experience'

The pilot who flew a helicopter involved in a deadly crash in Argentina on Monday was "vastly experienced", his partner has told the BBC.

Eight French nationals, including three sports stars, and the Argentine pilots died when the two helicopters collided.

Experts are investigating the accident, which happened in good weather in La Rioja province.

The sports stars were taking part in the filming of French TV reality show Dropped.

The partner of pilot Juan Carlos Castillo told the BBC's Wyre Davies that Mr Castillo was a war veteran who had more than three decades of flying experience.

Azucena Aguero said her partner had flown many times with the TV production company producing the show.

She said she had "no idea" why the two helicopters had collided in such ideal conditions near the town of Villa Castelli in northern Argentina.

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Experts are trying to determine the cause of the crash

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The two helicopters collided in good weather conditions in daylight

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Azucena Aguero (centre) says her partner, pilot Juan Carlos Castillo, was very experienced

Video of the accident shows the helicopters flying close to each other in clear conditions, before one appears to fly into the other.

French air investigators will join Argentine experts to probe the causes of the crash, in which Olympic swimmer Camille Muffat, boxer Alexis Vastine and sailor Florence Arthaud died.

French President Francois Hollande said their death was "a cause of immense sadness".

In the TV show, participants are flown into rough terrain and filmed while they attempt to find food and shelter.

Reports in Argentina said French swimmer Alain Bernard, who was also taking part in Dropped, narrowly escaped the crash after getting off one of the helicopters at the last minute to avoid overloading it.

The five other French nationals killed were said to have worked for Adventure Line Productions (ALP), the company making the programme.

They were named as Laurent Sbasnik, Lucie Mei-Dalby, Volodia Guinard, Brice Guilbert and Edouard Gilles.

The pilot of the second helicopter was identified as Roberto Abate.

The surviving crew and members of the show, which airs on French channel TF1, are staying in Argentina for the time being while the investigation is under way, our correspondent says.

Among them are cyclist Jeannie Longo, former Arsenal footballer Sylvain Wiltord, snowboarder Anne-Flore Marxer and former figure skater Philippe Candelor.

In France, prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation - a standard procedure when its nationals die overseas.

'Great athletes'

Tributes have poured in to the dead stars from France and beyond.

"We are shocked by this sad news," said Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee.

"The world of sport and the Olympic family have lost three of their key members," he said, calling them champions and role models.

Dame Ellen MacArthur, the British round-the-world yachtswoman, told the BBC she was convinced Florence Arthaud had "inspired many, many people".

British swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who took bronze when Muffat won gold in the 400m freestyle at the London 2012 Olympics, said she was "terribly saddened".

"She was very inspiring, a tough competitor, extremely talented and [a] friendly person." Adlington wrote on her blog.

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skibboy
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16 March 2015

Bodies identified in Argentine reality TV tragedy

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© AFP/File | French and Argentine experts inspect the wreckage of the crashed helicopters at Villa Castelli, La Rioja province, Argentina on March 11, 2015

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Forensic experts have identified the bodies of the 10 victims killed when two helicopters filming a French reality show collided in Argentina, including three of France's top sports stars.

"The bodies of the eight French nationals and two Argentine pilots have been identified," the Argentine judge leading the investigation, Daniel Herrera, said Monday.

The helicopters were filming an episode of "Dropped," a reality show where sports stars were taken blindfolded into inhospitable environments, when they collided in mid-air in a mountainous region of northwest Argentina.

The accident killed Olympic champion swimmer Camille Muffat, renowned yachtswoman Florence Arthaud and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine, as well as five French television crew members and two Argentine pilots.

It took French and Argentine forensic experts a week to identify the bodies, which were badly burned in the crash.

Herrera said they had relied on dental and medical records and X-rays.

"The bodies are still at the morgue (in the city of La Rioja). I will sign the authorization for them to be taken to Buenos Aires," he said.

The production company behind the series, which was to air on French network TF1 in July, immediately cancelled shooting after the crash.

The remaining cast and crew arrived back in France on Saturday.

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skibboy
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17 December 2015

Pilot error caused crash that killed French sports stars: probe

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© AFP/File | This photo taken on March 9, 2015 in the Argentine province of La Rioja shows three French sports stars (from L) Florence Arthaud, Camille Muffat, and Alexis Vastine, moments before they entered a helicopter that later crashed

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Pilot error caused a twin helicopter crash in Argentina that killed three French sports stars, five crew members and two Argentine pilots filming a reality TV show in March, investigators said Thursday.

The two helicopters collided on March 9 while filming the French television series "Dropped," killing renowned yachtswoman Florence Arthaud, Olympic champion swimmer Camille Muffat, Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine and all seven others on board.

After a lengthy investigation, Argentina's aviation investigations unit, the JIAAC, found in a 50-page report that the pilots failed to realize how close their helicopters were flying that day.

"The triggering factor of the accident was, according to the information obtained during the investigation and its analysis, the pilots' lack of perception of the closeness or the deficit in the separation between their respective aircraft," it said.

"This lack of perception led to the air collision of the aircraft without attempting any evasive or defensive maneuvers."

Amateur video taken from the ground showed the helicopters flying extremely close, their rotors clipping and both aircraft plummeting.

"Dropped," which was to air on French channel TF1 but was immediately canceled, featured sports stars taken blindfolded into rugged environments and given 72 hours to get to a place where they could charge a cell phone.

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