Oliver Tree Nickell Dies in Rio Helicopter Collision That Killed 6

Q: How did electric cars turn the Oliver Tree helicopter crash into a toxic, explosive inferno?

The crash became especially destructive because the helicopters came down in an electric-vehicle parking lot, where the impact fire appears to have ignited multiple lithium-ion battery packs. Once those batteries were damaged, they likely entered thermal runaway, a chain reaction in which overheating cells feed neighboring cells, producing intense heat, flames and repeated flare-ups. That helps explain why witnesses and officials described a toxic, explosive inferno. Lithium-ion batteries can vent superheated, flammable gases under pressure, creating secondary explosions and jet-like flames. Fire officials in Rio said at least 20 vehicles were engulfed, and noted that EV fires release highly toxic gases and burn hotter than conventional car fires. The batteries also made the blaze much harder to control. Unlike a typical fuel fire, a battery fire can sustain itself, reignite after appearing to be out, and requires large volumes of water mainly to cool the battery pack enough to stop the reaction. Rio fire officials said EV fires can require three to four times more water than standard vehicle fires. Investigators have not yet said exactly how the collision unfolded or which ignition source triggered the vehicle fires. But based on the crash site and the known behavior of lithium-ion batteries, the electric cars likely turned an already catastrophic helicopter crash into a larger, hotter and more toxic fire scene.

3 articles · Updated · Hindustan Times · Jun 14

CNN Brazil, citing Rio civil police, reported that 32-year-old singer Oliver Tree Nickell was among six people killed when two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning.
Five passengers were aboard one helicopter and only the pilot was on the other; all died after the aircraft came down in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, a beachside tourist district.
Fire officials said both helicopters crashed into an electric-vehicle parking lot, sparking a large fire that left one aircraft fully engulfed and debris scattered hundreds of meters.
Investigators have not determined the cause, and Lieutenant Colonel Fabio Contreiras said fire damage and the wide debris field mean recordings and videos will be crucial to reconstruct the mid-air collision.
Nickell, who broke through with the 2017 single "When I'm Down" and later signed with Atlantic Records, had not yet been publicly confirmed by his family at the time of the report.