Fatal Plan Crash Near Sao Paulo Raises Questions

A regional turboprop plane crash in a residential area near Sao Paulo, Brazil, killed all 61 people onboard. Voepass plane, en route from Cascavel, spiraled out of control and crashed in Vinhedo. Aviation experts are investigating, with the recovered black box being crucial in determining the cause.

A regional turboprop plane fell into what aviation experts called a flat spin before crashing in a residential neighborhood near Sao Paulo in Brazil on Friday, killing all 61 people on board.

Regional carrier Voepass said the plane, bound for Sao Paulo's international airport, took off from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, and crashed at around 1:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) in the town of Vinhedo, some 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo. Video shared on social media showed the ATR-72 aircraft spinning out of control as it plunged down behind a cluster of trees near houses, followed by a large plume of black smoke.

Nearby resident Daniel de Lima said he heard a loud noise before looking outside his condominium in Vinhedo and seeing the plane in a horizontal spiral. 'It was rotating, but it wasn't moving forward,' he told Reuters. 'Soon after it fell out of the sky and exploded.' City officials at Valinhos, near Vinhedo, said there were no survivors, and only one home in the local condominium complex had been damaged while none of the residents were hurt.

The unusual final circling motion of the plane before hitting the ground triggered curiosity among aviation experts, especially since there was no obvious bad weather. By the end of the day, investigators said it was too early to determine the cause.

'Today ice was predicted (at the altitudes the plane was flying at), but within the acceptable range,' Voepass Chief Operations Officer Marcel Moura said during a press conference. 'But the plane is sensitive to ice, that could be a starting point,' Moura said, adding the plane's de-icing system, along with the rest, had been deemed operational before takeoff.

The head of Brazilian aviation accident investigation center Cenipa said the plane's 'black box,' containing voice recordings and flight data, had been recovered. U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse noted that investigators would examine weather, engine, and control functionalities as they dig into the causes of the loss of control in flight.

'From what I've seen, it was definitely what we would call loss of control,' he said. Flightradar data showed significant gyrations in speed before the crash, U.S. aviation safety consultant and former commercial pilot John Cox said. He cautioned that he would want to verify the data but noted something 'really significant' may have caused the plane to spin as it descended.

'It appears that there may have been some catastrophic event before that loss of control,' he added. Cenipa head Marcelo Moreno hinted initial reports indicated the aircraft had not contacted traffic control to report an emergency.

Voepass, Brazil's fourth-largest airline by market share, initially reported 62 people on board. Local outlet Globo News interviewed two men who said they missed the flight. The plane was carrying 57 passengers and four crew members, all with Brazilian-issued documents. Some passengers were doctors from Parana heading to a seminar, Governor Ratinho Junior conveyed to journalists.

'These were people who were used to saving lives, and now they've lost theirs in such tragic circumstances,' he stated.

Franco-Italian ATR, jointly owned by Airbus and Leonardo, is the dominant producer of regional turboprop planes. ATR stated it was 'fully engaged' with the ongoing investigation. The motor on the plane was produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada, whose parent company RTX Corp confirmed involvement in the probe. French and Canadian investigators will join the investigation, with Europe's safety regulator also offering technical assistance.

The crash is Brazil's deadliest since 199 people were killed in 2007 on a TAM flight, which later formed LATAM Airlines.

(With inputs from agencies.)