Investigators looking into a recent Brazilian plane crash have examined the aircraft’s black box and found that the plane rapidly lost altitude for about a minute before it hit the ground. Evidence from the cockpit voice recorder indicates that the pilots spoke to each other about the need for “more power” to stabilize the aircraft but crashed almost immediately afterward, killing all 62 people on board.
Video posted to social media showed the ATR-72 plane spin out of control and plummet to the ground behind a number of trees. The pilots did not report any mechanical or technical problems, indicating the speed of the plane’s descent. Additionally, there were no reports of adverse weather conditions. TV Globo, whose reporters have listened to the recording, say it is difficult to decipher exactly what was said because of the loud engine sounds in the background. They also said the audio would do little to solve the mystery of what caused the plane to crash.
Among those who died in the tragedy was a lawyer who specialized in cases against airlines. A Venezuelan family and their dog were also on board, as were two leading cancer doctors, Mariana Belim and Ariane Risso. The plane was traveling from Cascavel in Paraná to Guarulhos airport in São Paulo city. It crashed just outside the town of Vinhedo, but nobody on the ground was hurt.
Experts at a local Sao Paulo morgue have been steadily identifying the dead and returning bodies to their families. Pilot Danilo Santos Romano was buried in Sao Paolo following a funeral that made its way through the Penha neighborhood where he grew up. Local people lined the streets to pay tribute to the 35-year-old, and a shopkeeper who knew him told reporters, “We used to chat about soccer. He really wanted to have a child to take to the stadium one day. Danilo was full of life.”
His widow, Thalita Valente Machado, did not speak during the funeral but wrote a public letter thanking people for their support and good wishes. In her letter, she said she was sure that her husband and his co-pilot “did everything possible” to save themselves and their passengers.
