São Paulo, Brazil. Families of the 62 victims of a tragic plane crash gathered in São Paulo on Sunday as forensics experts continued their work to identify the deceased. The ATR 72 aircraft operated by Brazilian airline Voepass crashed on Friday, and the recovery and identification process has been underway since.
The São Paulo morgue has identified the bodies of pilot Danilo Santos Romano and co-pilot Humberto de Campos Alencar e Silva as the first victims. Additionally, Brazilian media reports that four more victims have been identified, though the morgue has yet to confirm these reports.
According to the São Paulo state government, the search operation concluded at 10:45 p.m. on Saturday, 33 hours after the crash. All 34 male and 28 female victims have been recovered from the crash site, though the wreckage remains at the location for ongoing investigation.
The Voepass ATR 72, en route to São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport, crashed in Vinhedo, approximately 78 kilometers (49 miles) from the city. The aircraft was carrying 58 passengers and four crew members. Voepass reported that three passengers held Brazilian identification, with one also having Venezuelan documents and another holding Portuguese nationality.
The tragic event included notable victims such as four professors from Unioeste University in Paraná and at least eight physicians. Three-year-old Liz Ibba dos Santos, traveling with her father, was the only child on board. The remains of Luna, a dog traveling with a Venezuelan family, were also recovered.
As the morgue began receiving bodies on Friday evening, relatives were requested to provide medical, X-ray, and dental records to aid in the identification process. Blood tests were also conducted to assist in this effort.
On social media, Tânia Azevedo, who lost her son Tiago in the crash, shared her emotional struggle: “I believe Tiago is somewhere trying to help the other people wounded who also need light and love,” she wrote. “I couldn’t go there (to the morgue). I am here waiting. It is dark here, I need some light and love myself.”
Witnesses captured the aircraft in a flat spin before it crashed into a gated community, leaving the fuselage in ruins and engulfed in flames. There were no reported injuries on the ground.
This crash is the deadliest airline disaster globally since January 2023, when a Yeti Airlines ATR 72 crash in Nepal resulted in 72 fatalities. Both incidents involve the ATR 72 model, with previous investigations attributing pilot error to the Nepal crash.
Meteorological company Metsul reported severe icing conditions in São Paulo around the time of the crash. Local media have suggested icing could be a contributing factor, though this is yet to be confirmed.
A video shared on social media featured a Voepass pilot reflecting on the tragedy, emphasizing respect and prayers for those affected: “This tragedy doesn’t hit only those who perished in this accident. It hits all of us,” said the pilot. “We are giving all our hearts, all our best to be here and fulfill our mission to take you safely and comfortably to your destination.”
Access to the São Paulo morgue was restricted, with police preventing media coverage of the grieving families. A flight from Paraná brought more relatives to the scene on Saturday afternoon, with transportation provided by the airline.
The Brazilian Air Force has sent the plane’s flight recorders to its laboratory in Brasília for analysis, with results expected within 30 days. Marcelo Moura, Voepass’s director of operations, mentioned that while ice conditions were forecasted, they were deemed acceptable for the aircraft.
Brazilian aviation expert Lito Sousa cautioned against drawing premature conclusions based solely on images. “Analyzing an air crash just with images can lead to wrong conclusions about the causes,” Sousa told The Associated Press. “But we can see a plane with loss of support, no horizontal speed. In this flat spin condition, there’s no way to reclaim control of the plane.”
The ATR 72, a model manufactured by a joint venture between Airbus and Leonardo SpA, has been involved in numerous accidents, resulting in 470 deaths according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
