This is the terrifying moment a helicopter crashed into a lake in the southern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais shortly after take-off, injuring one person and three others.
The charter helicopter took off from a helipad in the municipality of Capitolio and transported two passengers to the nearby town of Piumhi.
Footage from a ranch surveillance camera showed the plane suddenly falling from the sky at 9:03 a.m. and diving into Furnas Lake.
The fatal victim was identified as Vanilton Alves, 44, who was invited by the pilot, Lucas Chaves, to fly with him, civilian police said.
A helicopter with four occupants crashed on Tuesday shortly after taking off from a helipad in Espírito Santo, Brazil. One passenger was killed and three people, including the pilot, survived
Vanilton Alves died on Tuesday in a helicopter crash that injured three people in Brazil
Locals assisted authorities in the search and found his body tied to a chair about four hours after the tragic accident.
The survivors were identified as Lucas Chaves, who had 600 hours of flying experience, and medical student Julia Mendonça, 22, and her husband, Leonardo Silva, 27.
A source with knowledge of the investigation told online news portal iBom that xxxxxx was “stable, conscious and calm” but that Silva suffered a spinal injury and was unable to move his legs.
Civil police chief Fábio Csiszner told Brazilian news outlet G1 that Mendonça and Silva flew to the city of Piumhi, where they would catch a flight to Rio de Janeiro, where they lived.
Fransuir Batista said he was working on his boat and saw the helicopter lose power and crash into the lake.
Chaves, Mendonça and Silva managed to escape from the helicopter and were brought to safety by Batista and a fire brigade rescue team.
“I quickly got out and even saw the moment it sank,” Batista said. 'When I stopped the boat, I saw the three people lying in the water. I helped put them on a friend's boat.
Passengers Julia Mendonça, 22, and her husband, Leonardo Silva, 27, along with the pilot, survived the helicopter crash that killed another passenger
A surveillance video camera set up on a farm captured the moment the helicopter crashed into a lake in Espírito Santo, Brazil, on Tuesday morning
'One screamed in pain, that was the pilot, and I took him for medical attention. When I returned, I arrived with the Rescue Team, who helped the other two injured people.'
The National Civil Aviation Agency said the helicopter, an EC 120 B model, was built in 2009.
The aircraft was part of a fleet owned by Âncora MG Participações Societárias LTDA and had a flying permit that was due to expire in October 2024.
However, the federal agency's records showed that the helicopter was not allowed to operate as a taxi.