Plane crashes in Brazil, report says aircraft was hit by ice buildup

The Voepass airline plane that crashed last August 9 in Brazil, causing 62 deaths, would have suffered an accumulation of ice due to the humidity and temperature conditions of the area crossed. This is according to the Center for Research and Prevention of Aircraft Accidents (Cenipa) in the preliminary report drawn up to shed more light on the causes that led to the plane crash, causes that have not yet been ascertained. In the document, cited in a note from the Brazilian Air Force, Cenipa specifies that the examination of the black boxes shows that the crew had reported a failure in the system that prevents the formation and accumulation of ice. The center also highlights that this system was activated and deactivated “on numerous occasions”, which would indicate a failure in its functioning.

In a presentation of the report to the pressthe head of the investigation commission Paulo Mendes Fróes stressed that accidents “are not caused by one factor alone, but by multiple factors”. “The loss of control of the aircraft occurred during a flight in conditions favorable to the formation of ice, but there was no declaration of emergency or report of adverse weather conditions,” the colonel said. Froes added that meteorological information was regularly provided before take-off, that the pilots were experienced (with more than 5 flight hours) and that “they had all the valid licenses and certificates”. “The aircraft was manufactured in 2010 and was certified to fly in icing conditions, while the pilots had specific training for this type of flight,” he added.

For his part, Cenipa director Marcelo Moreno stressed that “the information available in the preliminary report may be updated when new data is collected. “Our goal is to publish the final report as soon as possible, always taking into account the complexity of the event and the need to discover the factors that could have contributed (to the accident),” he concluded. The Voepass plane crashed on August 9 near a residential area in Vinhedo, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, while flying from Cascavel airport, in Parná, to Guarulhos airport, in São Paulo. It was the plane crash with the highest number of deaths in Brazil since 2007, when a Tam plane went off the runway at Congonhas airport in São Paulo, causing 199 deaths.

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