When a Voepass flight came crashing down in thick smoke, it killed all 62 passengers onboard and was reported as the second-worst plane crash in Brazil’s history
When a domestic flight travelling from Cascavel in Brazil to Sao Paulo crashed into a gated community, the pilot’s final words were caught on audio. The crash killed all 62 people on board after the plane suffered a steep loss of altitude during its final airborne minutes.
It was Brazil’s worst plane crash since 2007, and the Voepass airplane swirled out of control and crashed around 80km away from it’s final destination. The black box recording heard the co-pilot saying the aircraft needed “more power” as it started to lose altitude, as reported by local media station TV Globo, who have the transcript of the recording as well as two hours of audio.
READ MORE: Ashbourne plane crash: Two dead after aircraft crash lands at race track as public told stay away
However, authorities who were investigating the accident, which happened in August 2024, had the black box, but its contents do not immediately explain the cause of the crash. The transcript featured the co-pilot asking what was going on before he said the plane needed “more power” as the pilot and co-pilot noticed a steep loss of altitude in the minute before the aircraft hit the ground.
TV Globo’s news programme Jornal Nacional reported that screams were heard on the seconds before the crash which were picked up on the black box. According to Sky News, flight tracker website FlightRadar24 had noted the plane’s transponder recorded a vertical speed of between 8,000 and 24,000 feet per minute in its final 60 seconds in the air.
TV Globo added that analysis of the audio is ‘unlikely’ to reveal the initial cause of the crash but authorities said they found no ‘unusual sounds’ which would have indicated a fire or any type of engine breakdown. Brazil’s aviation accident investigation centre.
A preliminary report into the August crash of the airliner in Brazil found signs of ice build up on the plane but no definite cause for the accident, the country’s Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Cenipa) said. The document pointed out that icing detectors had been activated on airline Voepass’ aircraft, and a Cenipa official told a press conference that cockpit recordings showed the co-pilot said there was “a lot of icing” during the flight.
READ MORE: Oregon plane crash: Out-of-control private jet crashes into water after skidding off airport runway
According to investigators, that comment indicates that the plane’s de-icing system might have failed. Videos shared on social media showed the ATR 72 aircraft spinning out of control as it plunged down behind a cluster of trees and sent black smoke into the air and the pilots had not reported an emergency or adverse weather, the authorities previously said.
After the tragic accident, Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, expressed solidarity with the families and friends of the victims. São Paulo’s state Governor, Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas, declared three days of mourning. According to Flightradar24, the plane left Cascavel at 11:56 local time (14:56 GMT). The last signal received from the aircraft was about an hour and a half later.
Brazil’s civil aviation agency said the plane, which was built in 2010, had been “in good operating condition, with valid registration and airworthiness certificates”. The moment the passenger plane crashed was witnessed by local residents. “When I heard the sound of the plane falling, I looked out my window at home and saw the moment it crashed,” Felipe Magalhaes told Reuters news agency, adding that the sight had left him “terrified”.
Another resident, Nathalie Cicari, told CNN Brasil she had been having lunch when she heard a “very loud noise very close by”, describing it like the sound of a drone but “much louder”. She said: “I went out on the balcony and saw the plane spinning. Within seconds, I realised that it was not a normal movement for a plane.”
