The reason behind the Brazil plane crash that claimed the lives of 62 passengers
Air mishap could be due to any number of factors, according to experts. (File)
Rio de Janeiro:
An ATR-72 turboprop aircraft operated by regional carrier Voepass crashed on Friday in a residential area near Sao Paulo, Brazil, resulting in the death of all 62 passengers aboard.
Investigators have recovered the aircraft’s so-called black box containing voice recordings and flight data, with an initial report expected within 30 days, the head of Brazil’s aviation accident investigation center, Cenipa, said on Sunday.
HOW DID THE CRASH OCCUR?
The aircraft was on its way to Sao Paulo from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, and crashed at around 1:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) in Vinhedo, about 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.
The plane was operating normally until 1:21 p.m., when it ceased responding to calls, and radar contact was lost at 1:22 p.m., Brazil’s air force said in a statement. The aircraft did not report any emergency.
WHAT WILL EXPERTS BE LOOKING FOR?
US aviation safety specialist Anthony Brickhouse mentioned that investigators would examine aspects like weather and assess to what degree the engines and controls were functioning properly, to help determine what caused the loss of control.
COULD WEATHER CONDITIONS HAVE CAUSED THE CRASH?
Videos of the incident scrutinized by aviation specialists led some to speculate that ice had accumulated on the aircraft. On Friday, Voepass mentioned that ice was expected at the altitudes at which the aircraft was flying, but that it should have been at a tolerable level.
ATR-72 aircraft have encountered problems with icing, with a crash in 1994 in the US state of Indiana resulting in the death of 68 individuals, after the aircraft was unable to bank due to ice buildup. Following that incident, manufacturer ATR enhanced its de-icing system. In 2016 in Norway, an ATR-72 encountered issues after ice accumulated on the aircraft, but the pilot was able to regain control.
COULD THE ENGINE HAVE FAILED?
John Hansman, a professor in the department of aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, examined some of the Brazil crash footage shared on social media and without having reviewed flight data mentioned that the crash did not seem to have been caused by weather.
ARE MULTIPLE POINTS OF FAILURE POSSIBLE?
Air mishaps could be due to any number of factors, according to experts. Among them could be ice, engine malfunction, or human error. In many instances, there is more than one cause, mentioned Robert A. Clifford, a lawyer who represented some of the families of crash victims in the 1994 incident.
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