José Alberto Suárez, the 55-year-old president and general manager of Telemundo's Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Myers-Naples stations, died Wednesday when a charter helicopter crashed and caught fire in a remote part of northern Kenya. He was among seven people killed when the aircraft went down near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, roughly 270 kilometers north of Nairobi, during what officials say was a safari tour.
The crash occurred around 9:13 a.m. local time near Kirish, at the base of the flat-topped Mount Ololokwe peak, according to the Associated Press. Suárez was among four Americans killed in the crash, according to NBC 6 South Florida, which reported his death alongside tributes from Telemundo leadership.
The Eurocopter EC130 B4, registered 5Y-GYM, was owned by Lady Lori (Kenya) Ltd and carried guests booked through the luxury travel agency &Beyond, flying from the Loisaba Conservancy area toward Ewaso Nyiro when it went down, according to Tuko.co.ke. Lady Lori Helicopters confirmed the aircraft went down during the charter flight and said it is cooperating with investigators, the outlet reported.
Investigators Scramble to Reach the Wreckage
Kenya's Air Accident Investigation Department, which operates under the Ministry of Roads and Transport, opened a formal investigation alongside the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority to determine what caused the aircraft to lose altitude and catch fire. The civil aviation authority confirmed the accident and offered condolences to victims' families, the same report noted.
Reaching the crash site proved difficult. Emergency crews led by the Kenya Red Cross confronted active fire, heavy smoke and steep, brush-covered terrain, deploying drones and sending reinforcements from Isiolo to reach the wreckage, per the account. Local residents alerted authorities after spotting thick plumes of smoke rising from the base of the mountain, the report added.
High elevations across Kenya's Rift Valley, where terrain ranges from 1,500 to over 2,500 meters above sea level, create thin-air conditions that can reduce helicopter rotor efficiency and engine performance, according to Citizen Digital. Operating helicopters near mountain features like Mount Ololokwe requires narrow performance margins because of high density altitude, the outlet reported. The crash follows earlier fatal tourist helicopter accidents in Kenya, including a March 2019 crash in Turkana County that killed four American tourists and a Kenyan pilot, according to eTurboNews. Private charter helicopters are commonly used to move luxury safari guests across Kenya's remote conservancies, the outlet noted.
While Kenyan police reports identified the initial list of seven casualties, official identification procedures and formal crash-causation findings from Kenyan and international aviation authorities remain pending.
A Nearly Two-Decade Career Across Telemundo and NBCUniversal
Suárez had spent 18 years with Telemundo and NBC-owned stations and had accumulated more than 25 years of media experience overall, according to NBC 6 South Florida. Telemundo Station Group President José Cancela named him president and general manager of WTMO (Telemundo 31 Orlando), WRMD (Telemundo 49 Tampa) and WWDT (Telemundo Fort Myers-Naples) in February 2024, succeeding Migdalia Figueroa after she moved to lead Telemundo's station in Puerto Rico, according to NBCUniversal Local.
Before taking over the Florida stations, Suárez served as president and general manager of Telemundo 33 Sacramento and Telemundo 51 Fresno starting in April 2019, while also taking charge of Telemundo Las Vegas in January 2023. He had also previously led Telemundo San Antonio and Telemundo Utah, and worked as a reporter and anchor at media outlets in Florida, Ohio and Texas earlier in his career, per NBC 6 South Florida.
Suárez spent nearly four years at NBC Miami as director of creative services and programming, where he also served as executive producer of non-news programming and specials, according to the station's report. His broadcast honors included three Emmys for Best Daily Newscast, a Lone Star Emmy for Overall Excellence earned while leading Telemundo San Antonio in 2019, several Associated Press awards and a Suncoast Emmy from his time at NBC Miami, per NBCUniversal Local and NBC 6 South Florida.
Colleagues Remember Suárez
NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde, NBCU Local Chairman Valari Staab and Telemundo Station Group President Jose Cancela issued a joint statement mourning Suárez, saying he “was an exceptional colleague who cared deeply about his teams, the communities they served and the important role their stations played in people's lives,” according to NBC 6 South Florida.
