The Brazilian passenger plane had 62 people on board
New information from the Brazil passenger plane that ‘fell from the sky’ and killed all 62 people onboard has been revealed.
On Friday (9 August), a Voe Pass airline flight flying from Cascavel in Parana to Guarulhos in Sao Paulo plummeted to the ground.
At the time, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said it ‘appears’ all the passengers on the flight have died in the crash.
“I would like everyone to stand up so that we can observe a minute of silence because a plane has just crashed in the city of Vinhedo, in São Paulo, with 58 passengers and four crew members and it appears they all died,” he said, in a video shared on Twitter, as per CNN.
Meanwhile, an initial statement from the airline read: “The aircraft took off from Cascavel-PR bound for Guarulhos Airport, with 58 passengers and four crew members on board. VOEPASS has taken all measures to support those involved.
“There is still no confirmation of how the accident occurred or the current situation of the people on board. The Company is providing support via telephone at 0800 9419712, available 24 hours a day, providing information to all its passengers, family members and employees.”
It was quickly confirmed that all 62 people on board the flight had sadly died, while one home in the municipality of Vinhedono was damaged.
Thankfully, however, nobody on the ground was hurt.
Footage of the awful incident initially surfaced on social media, with Brazilian TV network GloboNews showing an area on fire and dark smoke coming from the aircraft.
No indication has been given by the airline as to what may have caused the crash, while investigators have confirmed the plane’s black box has been recovered and has since been taken to a lab for analysis.
The black box from the aircraft has since been recovered, which will hopefully shed some light onto what caused the devastating crash. (Twitter/@GloboNews)
Flight tracker website FlightRadar24 has revealed the aircraft was flying at 17,000 feet prior to its crash, while a ‘severe icing’ warning was issued at an altitude between 12,000 feet and 21,000 feet.
Sky News reports that such issue can impact an aircraft by reducing thrust, decreasing lift and increasing drag.
Marcelo Moura, director of operations for Voe Pass, acknowledged the reports, but added that while there was a warning in place, the aircraft was within an acceptable window for ice.
Some who witnessed the crash have been speaking to the press in recent days, including Ana Lucia.
“I thought it was going to fall in our yard,” she said, as per Sky News.
“It was scary, but thank God there were no victims among the locals. It seems that the 62 people inside the plane were the real victims, though.”