All 62 bodies recovered after plane crash in Brazil
The aircraft of the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ART was on its way from Cascavel in the southern state of Parana to São Paulo International Airport in Guarulhos on Friday when it crashed in the small town of Vinhedo, located 80 kilometers northwest of São Paulo. The aircraft had gone into a spin in the air and then plummeted almost vertically to the ground, engulfing in flames.
There were no survivors in the crash. According to the airline Voepass, there were a total of 62 people on board the doomed aircraft, not 61 as initially reported. All passengers were Brazilian.
The mayor of Vinhedo, Dario Pacheco, reported that two of the victims had been identified by fingerprints. They were the pilot and co-pilot.
No one was killed or injured at the crash site in a residential area. However, the incident caused feelings of fear and helplessness among many residents, said 38-year-old Roberta Henrique. "It's really very sad." Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called it a "tragic accident" and declared three days of mourning.
To determine the cause of the crash, the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder are being analyzed, according to Marcelo Moreno, head of the Brazilian agency for the investigation and prevention of aviation accidents (Cenipa). Initial findings are expected within 30 days.
According to Flightradar 24, the turboprop aircraft had been flying at an altitude of around 5,000 meters for about an hour before it suddenly lost altitude at around 13:21 local time (18:21 CEST). The Brazilian air force reported that contact with the aircraft was lost at 13:22. The crew had not reported any emergency or adverse weather conditions.
According to Marcel Moura, operations manager at Voepass, the ATR 72-500 aircraft was routinely maintained the night before the accident and no technical problems were found. Experts suspect that the accident may have been caused by icing of the wings. Moura said that there is a risk of icing at typical flight altitudes of the aircraft, but the conditions on Friday were within acceptable parameters for flight.
The doomed aircraft was bound for São Paulo International Airport from Cascavel, both located in Brazil. The victims in the crash were all Brazilian citizens.
