Overview
- Two helicopters identified by registrations PR-DJJ (Airbus H125) and PP-MAC (Bell 206B) collided in mid-air over Recreio dos Bandeirantes and crashed into a car storage area on Sunday, June 14, 2026.
- Rescue teams recovered six dead, all crew members, after one helicopter exploded among parked vehicles and the other crashed about 100 metres away with parts scattered hundreds of metres.
- The crash ignited a large blaze that engulfed roughly 20 vehicles at an electric vehicle dealership lot and firefighters brought the ground fire under control within about an hour.
- Fire services warned that burning lithium-ion batteries released toxic gases and required far more water and special tactics to extinguish, which complicated rescue and containment efforts.
- The Brazilian Air Force and civilian aviation investigators are collecting videos, wreckage and flight data to reconstruct the final moments; officials also reported foreign nationals on one aircraft and consular notifications are possible.