A 17-year-old Colombian beauty influencer and two members of her family died when their sightseeing helicopter crashed into a wooded mountainside in Rio de Janeiro on August 8, 2026. Sofia Murillo, her mother Wendy Manrique, 37, and grandmother Rocio Cubillos, 59, were killed along with the pilot, Alessandro Rocha, 51. The Robinson R44 helicopter, registration PP-MFS, went down near the Vista Chinesa lookout in the Alto da Boa Vista section of Tijuca National Park shortly after taking off for a panoramic flight over Christ the Redeemer.
The family of six had traveled from Colombia to celebrate the 15th birthday of Murillo’s cousin, Laura Manrique. Because the four-seat helicopter could carry only three passengers at a time, the group split. Murillo, Manrique and Cubillos boarded the first flight around 11 a.m. local time from Jacarepaguá Airport. Victor Manrique, Wendy’s brother and Sofia’s uncle, stayed behind in the hangar with his wife Daniela Castañeda and their daughter Laura, waiting for the aircraft to return so they could take the next flight.
Victor Manrique later told Brazilian reporters that the women stopped answering messages. Staff at the hangar mentioned an emergency landing. After roughly an hour, the remaining family members learned of the crash through news reports and social media while still waiting at the airport.
“We found out from the internet,”
he said. The three women were on their first trip to Brazil. They had arrived earlier in the week and planned to leave the following Tuesday after visiting sites including Christ the Redeemer and Búzios.
Firefighters from the Rio de Janeiro Military Fire Department were alerted around 11:11 a.m. They located the wreckage in steep, densely forested terrain that required rope techniques and specialized gear to reach. The helicopter caught fire after impact. All four occupants were found dead at the scene, their bodies heavily burned. Recovery teams used lifting equipment and a zip-line system to remove the remains. About 40 firefighters worked the site.
Sofia Murillo had built a following of more than 250,000 across TikTok and Instagram by posting makeup tutorials, hair tips and product reviews from Bogotá. On TikTok she had roughly 208,000 followers; on Instagram nearly 50,000. Her final posts included a gym routine video shared days before the trip. Friends and followers filled the comments with farewell messages after news of the crash spread.
Alessandro Rocha had more than 20 years of experience as a flight instructor for ultralights and helicopters. Colleagues described him as meticulous and well-liked in the local aviation community. He had recently begun flying for Voos Rio Panorâmicos e Serviços Aeronáuticos, the company that operated the tour. Rocha left behind a wife and three children, including a five-month-old son. His body was identified first and released for burial in São Gonçalo on August 10. Identification of the three Colombian women required dental records and DNA testing because of the fire damage. Sofia Murillo was identified through documents she carried; the others remained at the Instituto Médico-Legal pending additional documentation from Colombia.
The Civil Police opened an investigation at the 19th Precinct in Tijuca. Brazil’s Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center, Cenipa, is leading the technical probe into the cause. A camera mounted in the cockpit to record the tourist flight was recovered intact and turned over to investigators. Voos Rio Panorâmicos said the aircraft held a valid airworthiness certificate through June 2027 and that maintenance and the pilot’s licenses were current. Company representatives said they did not yet know what caused the crash and were cooperating with authorities. Police planned to interview company officials about operating conditions and maintenance records.
The Colombian consul general in Rio, Diana Paez, confirmed the identities and said the consulate was assisting the family with repatriation. Colombia’s foreign ministry issued a statement of condolence and noted that consular staff remained in contact with Brazilian authorities. Sofia Murillo’s father traveled to Rio and spent consecutive days at the medical examiner’s office seeking release of the bodies. Victor Manrique posted a public tribute calling the three women
“my little sister, my mother and my niece”
and saying he would love them
“in this life and the next.”
Tourist helicopter flights over Rio’s landmarks have grown popular in recent years. The crash is the latest fatal incident involving such tours in the city. Anac, Brazil’s civil aviation agency, confirmed the aircraft was authorized for panoramic flights and said it was coordinating with Rio city officials on increased oversight. The exact sequence of events in the final minutes of the flight remains under investigation.
