On 30 August 2024, an Airbus Helicopters AS350 returning to base at Armamar, Portugal, in daylight after a firefighting callout where no action was required was unintentionally flown into a river when attempting a descent to route along it contrary to standard procedures. The helicopter was destroyed and the five firefighter passengers were killed but the pilot survived with serious injuries. The accident was caused by the pilot’s loss of situational awareness within a context of wider operational noncompliance, normalisation of procedural deviance, and inadequate oversight by the helicopter operator, the contractor and state safety regulator.