• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Arsenal's 'forgotten' Invincible narrowly escaped fatal helicopter crash that killed 10 people on reality TV show

Home> Football> Football News> Arsenal

Updated 16:47 10 May 2024 GMT+1Published 16:46 10 May 2024 GMT+1

Arsenal's 'forgotten' Invincible narrowly escaped fatal helicopter crash that killed 10 people on reality TV show

The Arsenal star had a narrow escape.

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton

A forgotten member of Arsenal's Invincibles team narrowly avoided a helicopter crash that tragically killed 10 people during a reality TV show.

The 20th anniversary of Arsenal's Premier League title-winning season of 2003-04 - one of the greatest achievements in English football history - is fast approaching.

That year Arsenal went a whole 38-game season without tasting defeat, something that had never happened before and that no team has done since.

Advert

All the members of Arsene Wenger's squad earned places in club folklore, including Sylvain Wiltord.

Though the French attacker played a peripheral role in the Invincibles season - his last at the club - he played a key role in the years running up to the historic achievement.

Wiltord famously scored the winning goal in a 1-0 win against Manchester United in May 2002, clinching the title four days after Arsenal had won the FA Cup.

Advert

What many fans don't know is that 11 years after his Invincibles triumph, Wiltord narrowly avoided a fatal accident.

In 2015 Wiltord was filming a French survivalist reality TV show called 'Dropped' in Argentina with a number of other French athletes.

Tragically, two helicopters carrying cast and crew members collided mid-air in La Rioja province, about 730 miles (1,170 kilometres) north west of Argentina's capital Buenos Aires.

Sylvain Wiltord played for Arsenal between 2000 and 2004. (Getty)
Sylvain Wiltord played for Arsenal between 2000 and 2004. (Getty)

Advert

Everyone on board was killed, including French Olympic gold medal swimmer Camille Muffat, Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine and sailor Florence Arthaud.

Muffat, 25, won gold in the 400-metre freestyle, silver in the 200-metre freestyle and a bronze in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Vastine, 28, won a bronze medal in the light welterweight division at the 2008 games in Beijing, and Ms Arthaud was considered one of the best sailors in the world.

The other victims were Laurent Sbasnik, Lucie Mei-Dalby, Volodia Guinard, Brice Guilbert and Edouard Gilles, as well as Argentine pilots Juan Carlos Castillo and Roberto Abate.

Advert

Wiltord was not on board the helicopters that day, but was understandably left distraught by the tragedy.

At the time he tweeted: "I'm sad for my friends, I'm trembling, I'm horrified, I have no words, I don't want to say anything."

Wiltord has spent much of the last decade out of the spotlight, although he has found a new passion playing padel.

The 2000 European Championship winner holds a diploma in padel coaching and is ranked 2,430th in France.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Football, Premier League

Alex Brotherton
Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a journalist at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He can often be found watching dreadful non-league football.

X

@alex_brotherton

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

26 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
4 hours ago
  • 26 mins ago

    ITV forced to apologise TWICE on behalf of Tyson Fury after what he said live-on-air during Soccer Aid

    Fury was interviewed on-air at Old Trafford - with perhaps an expected result...

    Football
  • an hour ago

    Thomas Tuchel told to call up player to his next England squad as fans say already he's outgrown U21 side

    The England boss has been told to promote a talented U21 after his recent performances.

    Football
  • 2 hours ago

    Jack Grealish ‘pranked’ into paying fan’s bill on holiday as TikTok goes viral

    The Man City star has been brutally pranked as his teammates prepare for the Club World Cup

    Football
  • 4 hours ago

    Trent Alexander-Arnold received two gifts from Real Madrid after signing contract with the club

    Trent Alexander-Arnold received two gifts following his transfer to Real Madrid.

    Football
  • Arsenal's legendary team from 2003/04 season went by completely different name before it was changed to 'The Invincibles'
  • Football matches to be reduced from 90 minutes under radical proposal submitted to IFAB
  • Dimitar Berbatov makes comment about Arsenal while on punditry duty that Arsene Wenger would genuinely hate
  • Arsene Wenger gives his take on Man City's 115 charges and demands Premier League rule change