Brazilian authorities have confirmed that all 62 bodies have been recovered from the Voepass ATR 72-500 crash site in São Paulo.
The Voepass ATR 72-500 turboprop crashed on August 9, 2024, while flying between Regional West Airport (CAC) in Cascavel and São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU).
Video footage captured of the crash showed the aircraft falling from the sky while spinning uncontrollably.
The plane crashed in a residential area resulting in one property being badly damaged.
Authorities have managed to also recover the aircraft’s black box which will help investigators build a picture of the events that led to the crash.
This is pretty horrific. Almost certainly a stall followed by an asymmetric input into a fully developed spin. The question is what brought on the stall and/or asymmetric input. Given ATR-72 crash history, my money is on icing.
— Maz Jovanovich (@maz_jovanovich) August 10, 2024
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There have been suggestions that ice on the ATR’s wing could be a factor which caused the plane to lose control.
According to Sky News, Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Henrique Baldi, from the Brazilian Air Force’s Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center said it was too soon to say whether ice caused the crash.
The aircraft is “certified in several countries to fly in severe icing conditions, including in countries unlike ours, where the impact of ice is more significant,” Baldi said.
It was initially claimed that the ATR 72-500 was carrying 57 passengers and four crew members, but this was revised to 62 with confirmation that an unaccounted-for passenger was on the flight. The crash victims included 34 men and 28 women.
In a statement the French-Italian plane maker, ATR, said: “ATR has been informed that an accident occurred in Vinhedo, Brazil involving an ATR 72-500. Our first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by this event. The ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer.”
