Overview
- A four-seat sightseeing helicopter operated by Voo Rio Panorâmico crashed near the Vista Chinesa overlook on Saturday, August 8, 2026, killing 17-year-old Colombian influencer Sofia Murillo, her mother Wendy Manrique, her grandmother Rocio Cubillos and the pilot Alessandro Rocha.
- The aircraft exploded on impact and sparked a fuel-driven fire that spread across a steep, wooded slope, forcing firefighters and military teams to use rope techniques and many vehicles to reach and secure the scene.
- All four people on board were killed and family members who had waited at the hangar for a second flight learned of the crash from news reports while still on site.
- Brazil’s Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA) and Rio de Janeiro’s Civil Police have opened investigations and the tour operator says its permits, maintenance records and the pilot’s license were current, though the cause remains undetermined.
- The crash has renewed attention to helicopter tour safety in the region and investigators must overcome difficult access and fire-damaged wreckage to recover evidence and determine what went wrong.