The team were shooting for The Twilight Zone, co-helmed by silver screen giant Steven Spielberg – the mastermind behind ET, Jaws, Jurassic Park and Gremlins.
The fatal incident occurred during a helicopter flight scene at 2.20am, under the supervision of co-director John Landis, when seven-year-old Myca Dinh Le and six-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen tragically lost their lives alongside Vic Morrow, 53.
The sequence was being filmed at Indian Dunes, California, when an intended explosion unexpectedly damaged the helicopter’s rotor blades, leading it to crash into the river.
The horrific collision led to the gruesome decapitation of Morrow and Le, while young actor Chen was crushed; the children’s parents watched the terrifying scene unfold before them on July 23, 1982.
Six individuals aboard the helicopter during the crash suffered minor injuries. In the wake of the tragedy, both civil and criminal charges were brought against the staff overseeing the shoot, including director Landis.
