A Robinson R44 Raven II crashed near the city of Lago Ranco in the Los Rios region of Chile on Tuesday, killing the former president of the Republic of Chile, Sebastián Piñera Echenique, age 74, who was flying the helicopter. Three other occupants survived the crash into a lake, the Lago Ranco, according to Chile’s General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC).
The Lago Ranco fire department, national police, and Chilean navy responded to the accident, which is under investigation by the DGAC’s investigation department.
According to Chilean news company Clarín, a state funeral is being held today at the Hall of Honor at Chile’s congress in Santiago. Echenique leaves behind his wife Cecilia Morel and children Magdalena, Cecilia, Sebastián, and Cristóbal.
Some news reports called the helicopter a turbine R66 model, but the registration CC-PHP belongs to the R44 that crashed.