Tragic Airliner Crash in Brazil Claims 62 Lives

Tragic Airliner Crash in Brazil Leaves 62 Victims

Families of the victims from a devastating airliner crash in Brazil have gathered at a local morgue, collaborating with forensic experts to identify the remains of the 62 individuals who tragically lost their lives in the incident. Local authorities confirmed that the bodies of the pilot, Danilo Santos Romano, and co-pilot Humberto de Campos Alencar e Silva, were the first to be positively identified by the forensic team.

The government of São Paulo state announced on Saturday evening that all victims’ remains had been recovered from the wreckage. Among the deceased were 34 males and 28 females, highlighting the diverse group affected by this tragedy.

The ill-fated aircraft, an ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop operated by Brazilian airline Voepass, was en route to Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo. It had 58 passengers and four crew members on board when it crashed on Friday in Vinhedo, located approximately 78 kilometers north of the bustling metropolis. Notably, a three-year-old girl, Liz Ibba dos Santos, was the sole child listed among the passengers, traveling alongside her father. Additionally, the remains of Luna, a dog belonging to a Venezuelan family, were also discovered in the wreckage.

The São Paulo morgue began receiving the victims’ bodies on Friday evening and requested that relatives provide medical records, including X-rays and dental information, to aid in the identification process. Blood tests were also conducted to assist with identifying the victims more accurately.

Witnesses captured harrowing images of the aircraft during its final moments, showing it engaged in a flat spin and descending vertically before crashing into a residential area, leaving behind a devastated fuselage engulfed in flames. Fortunately, residents reported that there were no injuries on the ground.

The meteorological company Metsul, one of Brazil’s most reputable weather services, indicated that there were reports of severe icing conditions in São Paulo state around the time of the crash. Local media cited experts speculating that icing could potentially have been a contributing factor to the accident.

Access to the main entrance of the São Paulo morgue has been restricted by police, where families of the victims were present to identify their loved ones. Some relatives arrived on foot, while others traveled in minivans. Out of respect for their grief, authorities requested that the families not be filmed as they made their way to the morgue.

Brazilian aviation expert Lito Sousa warned that analyzing the crash solely based on images could lead to erroneous conclusions about its causes. He explained, “Evaluating an air crash from just visuals may result in misunderstandings regarding the circumstances.” He further noted that the plane appeared to have lost stability and horizontal speed, stating, “In this flat spin condition, reclaiming control of the aircraft is virtually impossible.”

On Saturday, Brazil’s air force confirmed that both of the aircraft’s flight recorders had been retrieved and sent to their analysis laboratory in the capital, Brasília. The findings from this investigation are expected to be released within 30 days.

Marcelo Moura, the director of operations for Voepass, addressed reporters on Friday night, acknowledging that while there were forecasts of icing, the conditions were within acceptable thresholds for the aircraft type. Earlier, the Brazilian air force’s Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents stated that the pilots did not issue any distress calls nor indicated that they were experiencing adverse weather conditions at the time of the crash.

The ATR 72, manufactured by a joint venture between Airbus in France and Leonardo S.p.A. in Italy, is commonly utilized for shorter flights. Historically, various models of the ATR 72 have been linked to approximately 470 fatalities dating back to the 1990s, as recorded in the Aviation Safety Network database.