A man who invaded an airport in Brazil to “test” a helicopter ended up crashing the aircraft during an attempted take-off, local media reported.
Second g1the episode occurred at Caxambu airport, in the south of the state of Minas Gerais. The 33-year-old man invaded the runway, entered the helicopter and, during an attempt to take off, caused the aircraft to fall, fleeing immediately afterwards.
Nobody was injured. The firefighters were called to intervene and, at the scene, found only a small fuel leak, without any fire or explosion.
According to police, the helicopter involved is privately owned and does not belong to a flight school. At the time of the attempted theft, the aircraft was outside the hangar. The man apparently entered the area after cutting the airport’s protective net.
The suspect was arrested on Sunday afternoon (8), around 3pm (local time), in his home in São Lourenço, a municipality near Caxambu, and subsequently taken to the police station.
In his interrogation, the man told police that he had invaded the location to “test” the helicopter. He told officers he had a pilot’s license, but it had expired.
He also said he had done something similar in the state of California, United States. On that occasion, he flew the aircraft over the area for a few minutes, landed on a beach and then fled. This declaration is currently being verified by the authorities.
At the time of the arrest, a laptop, a mobile phone and the clothing worn by the man at the time of the events were seized to continue the investigation. The Center for the Investigation and Prevention of Aviation Accidents (CENIPA) was activated to follow the case.
Photo: Military Police / Fire Brigade. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
