What happened
On March 9, 2015, two Eurocopter AS350 B3 helicopters were engaged in a coordinated aerial filming operation near Villa Castelli, La Rioja. The mission, organized by a production company, involved flying the aircraft in close proximity to capture footage of a competition. The first aircraft, LQ-CGK, was tasked with transporting passengers, while the second, LQ-FJQ, carried a film crew including cameramen and sound engineers.
Following a briefing that included a plan for a 360-degree turn and a low-altitude pass over the takeoff site, both aircraft departed. Approximately two minutes into the flight, while flying at low altitude, the two helicopters collided. The impact caused both aircraft to crash and subsequently catch fire. The collision resulted in 10 fatalities, as all occupants on both aircraft—including the pilots, film crew, and passengers—perished in the accident.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight trajectories, the technical condition of both aircraft, and the regulatory framework governing the operation. Investigators confirmed that both engines were at full power at the moment of impact and found no evidence of mechanical failure contributing to the accident. While LQ-CGK had outstanding airworthiness directives, this was not a factor in the collision.
Technical analysis of the flight paths revealed that the aircraft were flying in close formation for filming purposes. The investigation also scrutinized the regulatory status of the operators, noting that the provincial aviation directorates were using public-registry aircraft for what was essentially a private commercial filming operation, which fell outside their standard authorized scope of operations.
Findings
Several contributing factors led to the mid-air collision:
- The positioning of LQ-FJQ created a significant blind spot, severely limiting the pilot's ability to maintain visual contact with LQ-CGK.
- There was a critical lack of a formal operational risk assessment for this non-routine mission, which prevented the identification of hazards inherent to close-proximity aerial filming.
- The operation lacked essential safety planning, specifically the failure to implement "see and be seen" principles or established evasive maneuvers for loss of visual contact.
- The absence of formal, standardized procedures for such specialized flight maneuvers.
- The use of public-registry aircraft for private-sector commercial filming tasks created regulatory ambiguity and bypassed standard commercial oversight.