4:15pm UK, Wednesday February 10, 2010

Tim Hewage,
Sky News Online

A television news helicopter has crashed near a busy highway in Brazil’s largest city killing the pilot and seriously injuring a cameraman on board.

Video from a rival news channel, Globo TV, captured the final moments as the Record Network helicopter seemed to lose control, smoke pluming from its engine before crashing to the ground.

The accident happened during the morning rush hour close to a six-lane motorway.

Record TV named the dead pilot as Rafael Delgado Sobrinho, 45, and the injured cameraman as 36-year-old Alexandre Silva de Moura.

Miraculously, no-one else was hurt.

The pilot had flown over the field in an attempt to make an emergency landing.

Globo’s helicopter was flying in the same area when it received a distress call from the Record TV helicopter.

Globo pilot Dato de Oliveira said: “The pilot reported a problem and I decided to follow him to see what was going on.

“He reported a problem on the tail, which is something rare, but it’s vital in a helicopter.”

The helicopter crashed during rush hour in Brazil’s largest city.

Mr Oliveira landed his helicopter after the accident and rushed to try to help the victims.

He said he turned the fuel pump and the battery off in the downed helicopter to avoid an explosion.

Brazilian television helicopters are a common sight over Sao Paulo, with each channel using them to get above the city’s congested roads.