Photo: Paul Kane / Getty Images
For: The Opinion
Friday, November 15
Helicopter that fought forest fires in Argentina collapses, leaves two dead
A helicopter fighting forest fires in the town of Aluminé, Neuquén province, in Argentina fell, for reasons that are being investigated, and exploded over the burning forests . His two crew members died.
According to local media data, it is the pilot Carlos Rodríguez Santa Ana (54), from the Federal Capital, and the mechanic Francisco Javier Escudero (45), a native of Villa Dolores (Córdoba).
Santa Ana was an experienced pilot who had worked in the Air Safety and Operations Directorate between 1988 Y 2020. He later retired, but continued working as a pilot on private lines.
The aircraft belonged to the company Helicópteros del Pacífico, which has its headquarters in Temuco, Chile, and an office in Buenos Aires. It was rented every year by the government of Neuquén.
Air Force personnel who arrived at the place explained that it became “very difficult” to get there. Even the damaged aircraft, covered in vegetation and smoke from the fires that, for more than two weeks, have been consuming thousands of hectares of native forests in different provinces of Patagonia.
The Secretary of Territorial Development of the Neuquén government, Jorge Lara, established that, “It is still very premature but it is certain that the climate was the one that influenced it. We know that it crashed to the ground and exploded. There was a lot of smoke in the area where I was flying. The machine carried a helibalde that it had unloaded on the flames. Then he rushed. Our personnel went down to the place using harnesses and confirmed the death of the two crew members. ”
Within the first advance of the investigation,“ the wrecked helicopter had the highest maintenance standards in accordance with the provisions of the National Civil Aviation Administration ”.
The sources added that “the pilot was licensed by that agency and had received training in Flight Safety, a company specializing in aeronautical training. ”
Although the type of helicopter damaged is manufactured since , the version of the one that fell was new. It works with two turbines. They are used especially to rescue people in mountainous places with difficult access. They can transport up to 14 passengers but the machine that fell It was adapted: it was lighter to be able to transport buckets of water and fight forest fires.
According to the latest fire report made by the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, currently there are five provinces with active fires: Chubut, Neuquén, Río Negro and Santa Cruz, all of them in Patagonia (south of the country); and in Formosa, in the north. The Federal Environmental Council (COFEMA) declared a state of emergency during a meeting called urgently due to the forest fires in Patagonia.
Read more:
Fire that started with Christmas tree killed father and two children in Pennsylvania, according to investigation Suspension bridge in Mexico collapses and leaves the less 23 injured
Fire at a Texas refinery leaves 4 injured