Data secured - investigation into plane crash starts
All technical records of the crashed aircraft in Brazil are secured. They are now being evaluated by investigators. So far, there are only speculations about the cause of the accident. Passenger complaints on a flight the day before are being investigated.
After a passenger plane crashed in Brazil, investigators have succeeded in securing all the contents of the flight data recorder and voice recorder. "We have successfully obtained 100% of the voice and data information recorded in the moments leading up to this tragic event," said Marcelo Moreno, head of the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Cenipa), to media representatives. All 62 people on board died in the accident near the Brazilian metropolis of São Paulo.
"The data has been collected and validated, and now we are waiting for our investigators to begin converting this vast amount of data into useful information for society," said Moreno. Both devices - each referred to as a black box - were taken to Cenipa's laboratory in the capital, Brasília, on Saturday for data analysis.
Furthermore, both engines of the aircraft are being analyzed in São Paulo to determine if they were operating at full power at the time of the crash, it was reported. The preliminary investigation report is expected to be submitted within 30 days.
All bodies recovered
The aircraft, operated by airline VoePass, was an ATR 72 turboprop passenger plane that crashed into a residential area in the small town of Vinhedo on Friday afternoon (local time) while approaching São Paulo. All 58 passengers and 4 crew members were killed, with no injuries reported on the ground. Data from the Flightradar 24 platform suggests that the aircraft dropped nearly 4,000 meters in less than a minute. Video footage showed the aircraft spinning in the air before crashing into the courtyard of a residence and exploding.
By Saturday evening (local time), approximately 30 hours after the accident, all bodies had been recovered, according to the fire department. Among the victims were a father and his three-year-old daughter who were traveling together to celebrate Father's Day, which is celebrated in Brazil on Sunday, as well as doctors, businesspeople, and professors. "I have nothing left, I have no life," said the mother of one of the victims, according to "O Globo." Media reports indicate that scammers are exploiting the situation by posing as relatives of victims to solicit donations online.
Warnings of icing at the crash site
Cenipa's director said that both environmental and technical factors, as well as possible human error, are being investigated. Meteorological reports for the time around the accident suggest turbulence, thunderstorms, and icing in the area, according to Flightradar 24.
Experts are investigating the possibility of ice formation on the wings, which could turn an aircraft into "a stone without lift," as reported by the Brazilian news portal UOL. There was a warning of icing at the crash site. VoePass CEO Eduardo Busch did not rule out the possibility that ice could have accumulated on the wings.
The pilots were experienced, and the aircraft was operational with functioning systems at the time of takeoff. "The aircraft was 100% operational at the time of departure," said Busch. Other experts suggest that multiple factors may have contributed to the crash.
One day prior to the accident, the same aircraft was reportedly on a different route where passengers complained about issues with the air conditioning. The public prosecutor has announced, according to "G1", that they will investigate the responsibility of the airline.
A Grim Reminder of 2007
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared a three-day national mourning period. The accident is reportedly one of the deadliest in the history of Brazilian aviation. In 2007, a TAM airline plane overshot the runway at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo and crashed into a gas station, killing 199 people.
Many also remember the crash on November 28, 2016, when a plane carrying the Brazilian football club Chapecoense crashed on its way to Medellín for the Copa Sudamericana final in Colombia. 71 people died, including almost all the players, staff, coaches, and accompanying journalists. Six passengers survived.
The aircraft involved in Friday's accident was a turboprop passenger plane, an ATR 72, operated by the French-Italian consortium Avions de Transport Régional. In January 2023, 72 people, including 4 crew members, died when an ATR 72-500 crashed while attempting to land at Pokhara Airport in Nepal.
The investigation into the cause of the aircraft crash in Brazil is being conducted by the European Union's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), as the ATR 72 turboprop passenger plane involved in the accident is a product of the French-Italian consortium Avions de Transport Régional, which falls under the jurisdiction of the European Union's aviation safety regulations.
Following the crash investigation, the European Union has issued a safety advisory to all airlines operating ATR 72 aircraft, urging them to conduct thorough inspections of their aircraft to address any potential issues related to icing at high altitudes, in light of the meteorological reports indicating turbulence, thunderstorms, and icing at the crash site.
