The Accident During the Filming of *Dropped*, 2015–2026
On March 9, 2015, near Villa Castelli in the Argentine province of La Rioja, two Écureuil helicopters chartered for the filming of Dropped collided two minutes after takeoff. All ten occupants were killed, including athletes Florence Arthaud, Camille Muffat, and Alexis Vastine.
The safety investigation was conducted by the JIAAC, the Argentine counterpart to the BEA, with the latter’s assistance. It found no technical anomalies in the aircraft nor any issues related to the pilots’ health. Its final report, published in December 2015, identified as the triggering factor a “misjudgment by the pilots”—who were nonetheless highly experienced—regarding the proximity of their aircraft.
A criminal investigation into involuntary manslaughter was opened in Paris following the accident. In July 2022, the former CEO of ALP, represented by Capucine Lanta de Bérard and Pauline Dufourq, was indicted. He was accused of gross negligence based on four elements: approving an aviation budget deemed insufficient; using regional helicopters without a contractual framework; hiring an operations director whose aviation experience had not been sufficiently verified; and failing to exercise adequate oversight over the program’s teams.
In May 2026, the investigating judges issued a partial dismissal order (now final) in favor of our client and referred the company and several other defendants to the Paris Criminal Court. They remain presumed innocent.
As in all aviation accidents in which the firm has been involved for over forty years, the defense was conducted on factual, technical, and legal grounds, as the Fauchon Law prohibits holding anyone criminally liable in the absence of a definite causal link between the alleged misconduct and the accident.
