Crew reported de-icing failure ahead of Brazil crash
Published: 05:09 AM,Sep 07,2024 | EDITED : 09:09 AM,Sep 07,2024
Brazilian Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Paulo Mendes Froes talks during a press conference on the crash
Brasília - The crew of a plane that crashed in Brazil last month had reported a failure in its de-icing system, according to an official report released Friday.
Videos showed the Voepass airline flight in a downward spin, falling almost vertically before it crashed into a residential area in the town of Vinhedo, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Brazil's financial capital Sao Paulo on August 9.
Though the preliminary report noted 'very icy' conditions, it did not point to a specific cause of the crash, in which all 62 people on board died. A minute before the ATR 72-500 plane started to lose altitude, the copilot noticed 'a lot of ice,' according to the report, released by Brazil's Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA). Hours after the incident, experts pointed to the possibility of ice formation on the wings affecting the plane's lift, contributing to the accident.
CENIPA head Marcelo Moreno cautioned, however, that it was not possible to confirm a failure in the de-icing system.
'It is too early to determine what the line of investigation will be' regarding the causes, he told a news conference. The plane was certified for flights in icy conditions, and the pilots had undergone specific training to fly in such conditions, according to CENIPA.
At no point ahead of the crash did the crew declare an emergency. The crash, which saw the plane smack into the ground on its belly and explode into flames, was the worst major air disaster in Brazil in 17 years.
Videos showed the Voepass airline flight in a downward spin, falling almost vertically before it crashed into a residential area in the town of Vinhedo, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Brazil's financial capital Sao Paulo on August 9.
Though the preliminary report noted 'very icy' conditions, it did not point to a specific cause of the crash, in which all 62 people on board died. A minute before the ATR 72-500 plane started to lose altitude, the copilot noticed 'a lot of ice,' according to the report, released by Brazil's Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA). Hours after the incident, experts pointed to the possibility of ice formation on the wings affecting the plane's lift, contributing to the accident.
CENIPA head Marcelo Moreno cautioned, however, that it was not possible to confirm a failure in the de-icing system.
'It is too early to determine what the line of investigation will be' regarding the causes, he told a news conference. The plane was certified for flights in icy conditions, and the pilots had undergone specific training to fly in such conditions, according to CENIPA.
At no point ahead of the crash did the crew declare an emergency. The crash, which saw the plane smack into the ground on its belly and explode into flames, was the worst major air disaster in Brazil in 17 years.