A regional turboprop plane crashed into a residential area near Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday, tragically killing all 61 people on board. The Voepass-operated aircraft was en route from Cascavel, Parana, to Sao Paulo's international airport when it went down around 1:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT) in Vinhedo, about 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.
Eyewitnesses captured harrowing footage of the ATR-72 aircraft spinning uncontrollably before it crashed behind a cluster of trees. The plane, caught in a flat spin, spiraled out of control and plummeted to the ground, sending up a huge plume of black smoke. Local resident Daniel de Lima reported hearing a loud noise and then seeing the plane in a horizontal spiral from his condominium in Vinhedo. He described the aircraft as rotating but not moving forward, just moments before it exploded upon impact.
City officials from nearby Valinhos confirmed that the crash caused damage to a local condominium complex's backyard. Fortunately, no one in the complex was injured. There’s speculation that the pilot might have been trying to avoid a nearby densely populated area.
Investigators are now looking into what caused the plane to lose control so dramatically. Initial theories suggest that ice buildup on the aircraft could have been a factor. Voepass Chief Operations Officer Marcel Moura noted that while ice was predicted at the flight's altitude, it was within acceptable limits. The plane’s de-icing system, along with other critical systems, was reportedly functioning properly before takeoff.
Brazilian aviation engineer and crash investigator Celso Faria de Souza mentioned that ice could have caused the plane to stall and enter the flat spin. Similar issues have been reported in past ATR-72 incidents, including a crash in 1994 in Indiana and another in 2016 in Norway.
The plane’s black box, which records both voice and flight data, has been recovered from the wreckage. U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse highlighted that investigators will need to closely examine weather conditions and the aircraft’s systems to pinpoint the exact cause of the crash. Former commercial pilot John Cox also noted that the data shows significant speed fluctuations before the crash, suggesting something major went wrong.
Marcelo Moreno, head of the Brazilian aviation accident investigation center Cenipa, revealed that the aircraft did not communicate any emergency to traffic control before the crash. Voepass initially reported 62 people on board, but it was later confirmed there were 57 passengers and four crew members. Among the passengers were doctors traveling to a seminar from Parana, underscoring the profound tragedy of losing so many lives dedicated to saving others.
The ATR-72, manufactured by Franco-Italian company ATR and powered by a PW 127 engine from Pratt & Whitney Canada (now RTX Corp), is a popular regional aircraft. The crash investigation will involve experts from France, Canada, and Europe's safety regulator, who will work together to determine what led to this disaster.
This incident is Brazil’s deadliest aviation tragedy since 2007, when a TAM flight crash killed 199 people. As the investigation unfolds, the focus remains on understanding the cause behind this devastating crash and preventing future tragedies.
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