A regional turboprop plane crashed near São Paulo, Brazil, claiming the lives of all 61 individuals on board. This tragedy marks the deadliest aviation accident in Brazil since 2007.
A tragic incident occurred on Friday when a regional turboprop plane crashed near São Paulo, Brazil, claiming the lives of all 61 individuals on board, as confirmed by the airline Voepass. The aircraft, an ATR-72, was en route to São Paulo's international airport, having departed from Cascavel in the state of Paraná. The crash took place at approximately 1:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT) in the town of Vinhedo, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of São Paulo.
Disturbing footage circulated on social media, depicting the aircraft in distress. The video showed the plane spiraling out of control as it descended rapidly behind a group of trees near residential houses. This terrifying scene was followed by a massive plume of black smoke, indicating the moment of impact.
Daniel de Lima, a local resident, recounted the harrowing experience. He described hearing a loud noise that drew his attention outside. Upon looking out from his condominium in Vinhedo, he witnessed the plane in a horizontal spiral, seemingly unable to move forward. "It was rotating, but it wasn't moving forward," de Lima told Reuters. He added that the plane eventually plummeted from the sky and exploded upon impact.
Fortunately, despite the catastrophic crash, damage on the ground was minimal. Local officials from Valinhos, a city near Vinhedo, confirmed that only one house in a nearby condominium complex had been damaged, and remarkably, no residents were injured. De Lima speculated that the pilot may have made a desperate attempt to avoid a densely populated neighborhood, possibly preventing further casualties on the ground.
As the investigation into the cause of the crash begins, authorities have retrieved the plane's "black box," which is reportedly intact. However, there has been no immediate explanation for what led to the tragic event. The weather at the time of the crash appeared to be clear, with only light rainfall and winds of about 10 kilometers per hour (6 mph) forecasted for the area.
Experts have weighed in on potential causes of the crash. John Hansman, a professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), reviewed the footage and suggested that weather was unlikely to have been a factor. He speculated that the crash might have been the result of an engine failure on one side, which was not properly managed by the crew, potentially leading to the uncontrolled descent.
Similarly, U.S. aviation safety consultant and former commercial pilot John Cox pointed to significant anomalies in the flight data, which showed erratic changes in speed. He emphasized that airliners typically do not spin during flight, implying that the aircraft likely stalled at some point, causing the crew to lose control. Cox also mentioned that a catastrophic event might have occurred before the loss of control.
Voepass, Brazil's fourth-largest airline by market share, has yet to provide further details on the cause of the crash. Initially, the airline reported that 62 people were on board the aircraft, but later confirmed the number as 61. The aircraft involved was manufactured by ATR, a Franco-Italian company jointly owned by Airbus and Leonardo. ATR is a leading producer of regional turboprop planes that typically seat between 40 and 70 passengers. The company stated that its specialists are fully engaged in the ongoing investigation.
This tragedy marks the deadliest aviation accident in Brazil since 2007 when 199 people lost their lives in a crash involving TAM Airlines, which later merged with LAN to become LATAM Airlines. The aviation community and the public now await the results of the investigation to understand the factors that led to this devastating event.
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