Sao Paulo: On Friday, a tragic plane crash in Vinhedo, São Paulo, resulted in the deaths of all 62 people aboard.
Operated by regional carrier Voepass, the aircraft was en route from Cascavel, Paraná, to São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport when it went down around 1:30 p.m. local time.
The crash site was a residential area, but fortunately, no local residents were injured, although one home was damaged. Authorities are investigating the cause, with early speculation pointing to possible icing issues. Air Brigadier Marcelo Moreno, Chief of Brazil’s Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aircraft Accidents, said, “It’s too early to determine the cause, but the aircraft did not communicate any emergency to control bodies. So far, there is no indication of an emergency from the aircraft. However, everything is still preliminary.”
In May 2023, a small aircraft crashed into a river near Santarem in the Amazon region, killing all five people on board. The plane was on a regional flight within Pará state. The accident underscored the challenges of air travel in Brazil’s vast and remote areas, where aviation is often the only viable mode of transportation.
In November 28, 2016, a chartered flight carrying the Brazilian football team Chapecoense crashed in Colombia, killing 71 of the 77 people on board. The crash was attributed to fuel exhaustion. The team was en route to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana.