Producer who was supposed to be in helicopter that killed Oliver Tree reveals why he backed out 'last minute'

A producer who escaped a fatal helicopter crash in Brazil has spoken about the moment that he pulled out of the flight at the very 'last minute'.

American singer Oliver Tree was among the six people who were killed in a helicopter crash in Brazil on June 14, with others including Gaspi, a YouTuber from Argentina, Lucas A. Vignale, a director and screenwriter, and Lucas Frota, a music producer from Brazil, who were all on one helicopter, as well as two pilots.

The crash saw two helicopters, a Bell 206B JetRanger III and a PR-DJJ, smashing into each other in a mid-air collision over Rio de Janeiro.

Now, producer Victor Wao has opened up about how he had been due to fly on the helicopter, but had backed out at the last minute.

Singer Oliver Tree was killed in the crash (Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

'I didn’t go at the last minute'

Wao shared that he has a fear of flying which led him to elect to use a hire car for the trip, which was hired for him by Vignale, as he had been too nervous to get onto the helicopter.

Ultimately, his fear of flying would save his life, and Wao has now shared a heartbreaking tribute in the wake of the tragedy in a message posted on his Instagram page.

“I was supposed to be with you in that helicopter, but I didn’t go at the last minute," he wrote. "You told me that, since I was afraid of flying, you had gotten a car to take me to Angra."

The helicopter was involved in a mid-air collision with another helicopter over Rio de Janeiro (Tercio TEIXEIRA / AFP via Getty Images)

He added: “THANK YOU FOR BEING THE BEST FRIEND I COULD ASK GOD FOR! I will always remember you with that smile on your face that enchanted everyone! I love you, See you on the other side … I love you forever.”

What is currently known about the helicopter crash?

The helicopters had been around 300ft above Recreio dos Bandeirantes when they collided.

One helicopter had five people on board, while the other had just the pilot.

Tree was among six others who were also killed in the crash (John Nacion/WireImage)

The horrific collision happened above a group of electric cars, and as a result, some 20 vehicles in the lot were set ablaze.

At present it is not known exactly what caused the crash, and police have launched an investigation to determine the cause.

So far, a police officer working on the investigation said that at present investigators think that human error is a factor in the disaster.

Oliver Tree was known for his hits Life Goes On and Miss You, which he released with and was just 32 years old at the time of his death.