Aviation expert reveals reason for ‘death spiral’ plane crash that killed 62 (2024)

AN AVIATION expert has revealed the cause of the fatal plane crash in Brazil which killed eight doctors onboard and its young pilot.

Shocking footage showed theVoepassaircraft in an uncontrollable "death spiral" towards the ground on Friday before it exploded in a huge fireball next to a house - leaving at least 62 dead.

The pilot of the fatal flight is highly unlikely to have been the cause - he has now been identified as 35-year-old Captain Danilo Santos Romano.

Romano was from Sao Paulo and had plenty of experience flying, logging more than 4,500 hours, and working as a pilot for more than a decade.

He joined Voepass Airlines in 2022, his LinkedIn profile claims.

He was described as "always smiling" and "willing to help" by colleagues, local media claimed.

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"As an ATR72 Captain, I am responsible for the safety of passengers, cargo, and crew, as well as the maintenance of the aircraft's airworthiness, to provide a secure, efficient, and economical flight.

"I am passionate about aviation and committed to delivering the best service to our customers and partners."

Experienced passenger jet pilot Captain Ross Aimer has revealed the chilling air disaster may have been caused byengine failure, flight control malfunction or due to part of the plane falling off mid-flight.

Aimer, who has over 40 years of experience flying passenger jets in the US, told DailyMail.com that any of these horrifying reasons can cause a pilot to lose control and spark chaos.

Terrifying video of Friday's crash in Sao Paulo shows the plane falling from the sky spinning in circles.

This motion has been labelled as a death spiral due to the fatal consequences it often has.

Aimer added that once a jet begins to plummet into a death spiral it is "very hard to get out of it".

The most likely reason for the issue may have been a low speed stall, the captain claims.

This occurs when the airflow going over a jet is too slow meaning the plane isn't able lift up like it is supposed to.

It most commonly occurs when a plane is moving at a slow pace.

When the wing stalls it will often dip down to one side as the other wing lifts, causing the jet to rotate leading to the spiral.

If the engine is turned off or has failed and there is no power the pilot will be unable to stop the ill-fated plummet.

The possible causes for a slow-moving aircraft are a technical fault, extreme turbulence or pilot error.

Another reason is if a wing has been hit by something such as a bird - similar to the miracle Flight 1549 crash landing on the Hudson River in 2009.

But ATR-72 aircraft that crashed over Vinhedo was reportedly cruising at 17,000 feet meaning a bird smashing the wing is highly unlikely.

The tragic crash took place at around 1.25pm Brazilian time after the plane took off at midday from Cascavel, Parana.

After going into free fall, the plane plummeted towards the ground in a residential area of the city of Vinhedo, Sao Paulo state.

Locals rushed to the crash site to see the fiery wreckage burning and bodies lying amongst the debris.

Valinhos City Hall later confirmed all 62 on board were killed but no residents on the ground were injured or killed.

So far, 21 bodies have been removed from the debris.

Eight of the dead were cancer doctors, six leading oncologists and two resident medics in their final year of training.

Seven others had been due to take the plane as the group headed to a conference, but they caught an earlier flight.

Incredibly, stories have emerged of people who were supposed to be on the fateful flight.

One man, Adriano Assis, told GloboNews that he had finished his shift at a hospital before going to catch the flight.

But there was a long line at the check-in desk and by the time he got to the agent, they said it was too late to board.

"I argued with him and stuff, and that was it, and he saved my life, man," he told the outlet as he teared up with emotion.

"He did his job because... if he hadn't done it... maybe I wouldn't be in this interview today, sorry."

Airline Voepass Linhas Aéreas confirmed the plane took off with 62 people on board made up of four crew and 58 passengers.

Earlier it had reported that 61 people had died, but a 62nd person was not properly registered as being checked-in on the flight.

All the bodies have now been pulled from the rubble, as well as the co*ckpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.

It is Brazil's worst aviation disaster since 2007.

The airline said: "At this time, Voepass is prioritizing provision of unrestricted assistance to the victims families and effectively collaborating with authorities to determine the causes of the accident.

"Voepass has taken all measures to support those involved.

"There is still no confirmation of how the accident occurred or the current situation of the people on board."

Firefighters, militarypoliceand the civil defense authority dispatched teams to the crash site in Vinhedo.

The youngest aboard the flight was named as three-year-old Liz Ibba dos Santos who was travelling with her dad.

The remains of a dog named Luna were also recovered on the flight that left Cascavel for Sao Paulo.

Tânia Azevedo, mum to victim Tiago - who also died in the crash - was put up was put up in a local hotel.

She said on Friday: "I believe Tiago is somewhere trying to help the other people wounded who also need light and love.

"I couldn’t go there [to the morgue]. I am here waiting. It is dark here, I need some light and love myself.”

Local media reported the type of plane was a turboprop ATR-72-500, made by French manufacturer ATR.

Flight tracking site Flightradar24 said this particular plane was a 14-year-old model built in 2010.

Over 1,200 of the planes have been built since 1988 when it entered service.

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The plane typically has a seating capacity of 72 passengers.

Brazilian Federal Police and the country's aviation authority have opened investigations into the crash.