March 15, 1995, will remain in the memory of Argentinians as the day one of the most moving tragedies of the decade occurred: the death of Carlos Menem Junior, son of then-President Carlos Saúl Menem and Zulema Yoma. Thirty years after that fateful air accident, his figure is remembered with respect and sorrow.
Carlos Menem Jr. was 26 years old and a renowned auto racing driver, an activity he combined with his passion for aviation. That day, he was piloting a Bell 206B JetRanger III helicopter, joined by his friend, racer Silvio Oltra. The aircraft crashed near National Route 9, between the Buenos Aires localities of Ramallo and San Nicolás.
The official version: a regrettable accident
The judicial investigation determined that the accident was the result of a collision with high-voltage cables located about 36 feet (11 meters) high. The official expert reports concluded that the helicopter was flying at low altitude, which caused the impact with the power lines. This version was upheld by the justice system over the years and is the one that remains to this day.
Carlos Menem Sr., who initially had expressed some personal doubts, repeatedly affirmed his confidence in the work of the justice system and in the technical explanation that points to the accident as the cause of his son's death.
The impact on Argentine society
The loss of Menem Jr. shocked the country, in a national context already marked by painful events such as the attacks on the Israeli Embassy in 1992 and the AMIA in 1994. The news of the accident mobilized thousands of people who joined the then-president and his family in their grief.
