Tragic Plane Crash in Brazil: All 61 Passengers and Crew Dead
Brazil(Staff Repoter): On Friday, a regional turboprop plane entered what aviation experts describe as a flat spin before crashing in a residential area near São Paulo, Brazil, resulting in the deaths of all 61 people on board.
The regional carrier, Voepass, reported that the aircraft, en route to São Paulo’s international airport, had departed from Cascavel in the state of Paraná. It crashed around 1:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) in Vinhedo, a town approximately 80 km (50 miles) northwest of São Paulo.
Social media footage showed the ATR-72 plane spinning uncontrollably as it descended behind a cluster of trees near homes, followed by a thick plume of black smoke.
Daniel de Lima, a local resident, reported hearing a loud noise before he looked out from his Vinhedo condominium and saw the plane spinning horizontally.
“It was spinning, but not advancing,” he told Reuters. “Then it suddenly fell from the sky and exploded.”
City officials in Valinhos, close to Vinhedo, confirmed that a house in a nearby condominium complex was damaged when the plane crashed into its backyard. Thankfully, none of the residents were injured.
De Lima suggested that the pilot might have attempted to steer away from a nearby, densely populated neighborhood.
The plane’s unusual spiraling descent before it crashed has piqued the interest of aviation experts, who are now speculating that ice buildup or engine failure might have played a role. However, investigators have stated that it is too early to determine the exact cause of the crash.
Voepass Chief Operations Officer Marcel Moura noted in a press conference that while ice was forecasted at the plane’s altitude, it was within acceptable levels. He mentioned that the plane is sensitive to ice, which could be a factor, but assured that the de-icing system and all other systems had been checked and were functioning properly before takeoff.
Brazilian aviation engineer and crash investigator Celso Faria de Souza suggested that ice accumulation might have caused the plane to stall and spiral in the manner observed.
In a similar context, an ATR-72 aircraft crashed in Indiana in 1994, killing 68 people due to ice accumulation affecting its ability to bank. Another ATR-72 in Norway in 2016 experienced a stall due to ice buildup, but the pilot managed to regain control of the plane.
The head of Brazil’s aviation accident investigation center, Cenipa, confirmed that the plane’s “black box,” which includes voice recordings and flight data, has been recovered from the crash site.
U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse stated that the investigation will focus on factors such as weather conditions and the functionality of the engines and controls before the crash. “From what I’ve observed, this clearly indicates a loss of control,” he said.
According to Flightradar data, there were notable fluctuations in speed before the crash. U.S. aviation consultant and former commercial pilot John Cox noted that while he needs to verify the data, something “really significant” likely caused the plane to spin as it descended.
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John Cox suggested that a catastrophic event might have occurred before the plane lost control.
Marcelo Moreno, head of Brazil’s aviation accident investigation center Cenipa, reported at a press conference that initial findings showed the aircraft did not contact air traffic control to report an emergency.
Voepass, Brazil’s fourth-largest airline, initially stated there were 62 people on board. However, local news outlet Globo News interviewed two individuals who claimed they missed the flight.
Ultimately, Voepass confirmed that the plane carried 57 passengers and four crew members, all holding Brazilian-issued documents. Some of the passengers were doctors from Paraná traveling to a seminar, according to Governor Ratinho Junior. “These were individuals dedicated to saving lives, and now they’ve tragically lost their own,” he said.
Franco-Italian ATR, co-owned by Airbus and Leonardo, is a leading manufacturer of regional turboprop aircraft seating 40 to 70 passengers. ATR stated that its experts are fully involved in the investigation.
The aircraft was equipped with a PW 127 engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its parent company, RTX Corp, confirmed it is assisting with the investigation.
Marcelo Moreno announced that both French and Canadian investigators will be involved in the inquiry, and Europe’s safety regulator has also pledged technical support.
This crash represents Brazil’s deadliest aviation accident since 2007, when a TAM Airlines flight, which later merged with LAN to form LATAM Airlines, resulted in the deaths of 199 people.
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