A tragic incident unfolded as a flight bound for Guarulhos Airport in São Paulo crashed after the pilot lost control, with haunting final words captured on the aircraft’s black box.
The flight, operated by Voepass, was en route from Cascavel, Brazil, to São Paulo when it tragically went down in Vinhedo, a small town. Initially, the airline could not confirm the number of people aboard, but later revealed that the ATR 72-500 flight carried 58 passengers and four crew members, all of whom perished in the crash.
The recovered black box unveiled the pilot’s chilling last moments. The co-pilot questioned the situation as the aircraft descended, with the pilot urging to “stabilise” the plane before a sudden and steep altitude drop led to the fatal crash, as seen in social media footage.
Reports from TV Globo’s Jornal Nacional mentioned screams heard from the ground just before impact, recorded in the black box audio. Despite this, investigations found no evidence of engine failure or irregularities that would explain the crash, leaving many unanswered questions.
Residents of the small town were shaken as they witnessed the plane’s approach and subsequent crash, resulting in a fire that damaged a home but miraculously caused no injuries on the ground. Eyewitnesses like Felipe Magalhaes and Nathalie Cicari shared their harrowing experiences of witnessing the tragedy unfold.
Brazil’s President expressed condolences to the victims’ families, observing a moment of silence, while São Paulo’s governor declared a three-day mourning period. ATR, in a statement, acknowledged the accident involving their aircraft and pledged full cooperation with the investigation and affected parties.
