[kellyhound]

Five US citizens and Ecuador's intel boss died in a remote area of Kenya on Wednesday when their helicopter crashed. Aviation accidents in Kenya have increased as tourism expands in the country.

all seven people on board a safari helicopter, six passengers and a pilot, were killed on Wednesday when the chopper crashed in the foothills of the popular but remote tourist destination, Mount Ololokwe.

Kenya's Civil Aviation Authority said the group's Eurocopter EC130 B4 helicopter crashed at 9:13 a.m. (0613 GMT) after departing the Loisaba wildlife reserve on route to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County north of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, adding that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.

An executive at Telemundo — a US-based Spanish-language television channel owned by Comcast/NBCUniversal — was reportedly among the victims.

Michele Sensi-Contugi, director of Ecuador's Strategic Intelligence Center was as well, and so was his wife, who also held US citizenship.

Sensi-Contugi, a former businessman, was a close friend and associate of Ecuador's right-wing President Daniel Noboa, who appointed him head of national intelligence in 2024.

Numerous travel companies offer helicopter tours to remote places like Mount Ololokwe.

But as Kenya's tourism sector has grown, so, too, has the frequency of helicopter crashes.

In February, another chopper went down in the wilderness, killing all six on board, including a parliamentarian.

[AllegedlyHere]

Kenya has some of the best coffee in the world. I doubt their aviation pilots and mechanics are on any “best of lists”, though. Probably the opposite, actually.

[yah]

It probably would've been safer taking a camel.

[scallywag27]

Bugger getting in a helicopter. If anything goes wrong you're F****D!

[Mr.NoCredit]

For all those people working in Intelligence they weren’t too smart getting on that helicopter.

[MrFlibble]

Kenya, famous for its aviation excellence

[docfr8]

The aircraft preventive maintenance program worked out well

[mr_feelgood]

Clearly his intelligence was bad or they would have told him his chopper was gunna go boom

[photo2uj]

Sad accident. All those white women hooking up with people in a corrupted government love those extravagant vacations only coke money can buy. Telemundo is full of those coke heads and gold diggers. More power to them. I do not watch Telemundo because it is a mediocre network where women allow themselves to be degraded and manipulated for ratings.

[kellyhound]

Originally Posted by AllegedlyHere ↗

Kenya has some of the best coffee in the world. I doubt their aviation pilots are on any “best of lists”, though. Probably the opposite, actually.

Pilot Josh Outram was a highly experienced, fourth-generation Kenyan aviator who founded the charter flight company Africa Heli Adventures. Outram was well-known within Kenya's aviation and wildlife circles, having previously flown fixed-wing aircraft for the conservation organization Save the Elephants.

Roger Duarte, José Suárez, Michele Sensi-Contugi, Stephany Holliham, Adam Hlavaty, Henry Parra and pilot Josh Outram were killed in the safari helicopter crash.

Michele Sensi-Contugi, director of the Ecuador’s National Intelligence Center, died in the crash, along with his wife, fashion designer Stephany Hollihan.(Pic in OP)

Roger Duarte, founder and owner of George Stone Crab, Miami.

José Suárez was the president and general manager of the Telemundo-owned stations in Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers, Florida. Telemundo and NBCUniversal executives called Suárez a deeply respected leader and beloved friend in a memo sent to staff.

Adam Hlavaty, 42, and Henry Parra, 55, lived in Coral Gables, South Florida and married in 2017 at the city’s historic Biltmore Hotel. Friends remembered them as generous community members who built a life around family, travel, and service.

Adam Hlavaty was a real estate executive and co-founder of a development company called MRKT Group. Parra co-founded and helped manage an aviation maintenance company for nearly 3 decades after serving in the U.S. Navy as an aviation support tech.

Henry was also deeply committed to the Miami community, generously supporting charitable organizations and initiatives that created opportunities for others and strengthened the city he called home.

A local guide reported seeing the helicopter circling the mountain. He noted that it struck a large rock on the side of the mountain before struggling to maneuver and going down.

Flying helicopters around steep, rocky terrain at high altitudes presents significant aerodynamic challenges, especially if encountering sudden wind sheer or downdrafts.