A passenger plane with 62 people on board crashed in a fiery wreck in Brazil’s São Paulo state, resulting in the deaths of all passengers and crew members.
The ATR-72 aircraft, operated by Voepass Linhas Aéreas, was en route from Cascavel in Paraná to Guarulhos in São Paulo when it went down in a residential neighborhood in the city of Vinhedo, approximately 76 kilometers from the state capital.
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“There are no survivors,” Col Emerson Massera of the Brazilian military police reported late on Thursday at the crash site. He added that while the fire has been brought under control, around 50 firefighters are still working to cool down the area. “It’s a very sad scene; our work now is focused on clearing the area so that the investigation and identification of the bodies can proceed,” Massera said.
According to Voepass, the plane was carrying 58 passengers and four crew members. Col Cassio Araújo de Freitas, the general commander of the military police, confirmed that there were no casualties reported on the ground. “We have no reports of any other victims besides those on the aircraft,” he stated.
Flight Radar data indicated that the plane was traveling at an altitude of 17,000 feet before it plunged 4,000 feet in two minutes, after which its GPS signal was lost. Videos shared on social media captured the plane spiraling out of control before it crashed into a cluster of trees, followed by a plume of black smoke.
Brazilian aviation records indicate that the plane, built in 2010, was certified to carry up to 68 passengers.
According to FlightRadar24, in the last minute of its flight, the plane’s transponder reported a descent rate ranging from 8,000 to 24,000 feet per minute.
FlightRadar24 also noted that the aircraft lost control in an area with an active severe icing warning. Ice formation on an aircraft can significantly impact its safety by adding weight and diminishing lift. Most aircraft are equipped with anti-icing systems to prevent or mitigate ice buildup.
Eyewitnesses described the chaos that ensued. Ana Lúcia de Lima, a nearby resident, told the UOL news website that the noise was so intense it “sounded like it was falling into my house.” She added, “The first blast was strong, there was already dark smoke coming out, and then there were several more explosions.”
The Brazilian Air Force and federal police have dispatched teams of investigators to the site, and the national civil aviation agency announced that it is reviewing the regulatory status of the aircraft and crew. In a somber moment during an event in southern Brazil on Friday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for a minute of silence to honor those lost in the crash.
