The passenger jet was en route to Sao Paulo’s international airport when it abruptly plummeted from the sky.
A plane operated by Brazilian airline VoePass crashed in Sao Paulo state on Friday, resulting in the deaths of all 61 individuals on board, the company confirmed.
The tragic incident occurred in a residential area of Vinhedo, involving 57 passengers and four crew members, according to The Associated Press. The aircraft had departed from Cascavel in Parana state.
In a statement, the airline expressed its deep sorrow, stating, “We regret to report that all 61 people on flight 2283 perished at the scene.
Firefighters, military police, and the civil defense authority all sent teams to the scene of the crash.
Brazilian TV network GloboNews aired aerial footage showing a fiery scene with smoke billowing from the shattered plane fuselage. Additional videos captured the aircraft descending vertically, spiraling as it fell.
“I thought it was going to land in our yard,” recounted a local resident and witness, identified only as Ana Lucia, speaking to reporters near the crash site. “It was terrifying, but thank God no locals were harmed.
Unfortunately, it seems the 62 people on board were the real victims.”
The Capela neighborhood, where the plane went down, is located on the outskirts of the city, which has a population of 77,000.
During an event in southern Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva informed the audience of the tragedy and requested a moment of silence in honor of the victims.
VoePass representatives at Guarulhos airport informed the Associated Press that they were in the process of notifying the victims’ families and providing support in a private room at the airport. They did not disclose the exact number of victims.
He mentioned that it seemed all passengers and crew on board had perished, without providing details on how this conclusion was reached.
Aviation expert and former pilot Arthur Rosenberg noted that video footage of the aircraft suggests it stalled midair.
“A stall occurs when the plane isn’t moving forward fast enough to generate the lift needed to stay airborne,” Rosenberg explained on Fox News Channel’s “The Story.” “The sound indicates there might have been an issue with one or both engines.”
Radar data revealed a “rapid descent,” which Rosenberg suggested could have been due to an engine failure or another malfunction.
According to FlightRadar24, a flight tracking website, the aircraft involved was an ATR 72-500 twin-engine turboprop, although VoePass has not yet confirmed this. The plane is typically used for shorter regional flights.
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