A devastating plane crash on the outskirts of São Paulo on Friday afternoon claimed the lives of all 61 people on board, as confirmed by the airline Voepass. The ill-fated flight 2283 was carrying 57 passengers and 4 crew members when it crashed near the city of Vinhedo, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life. Initial reports had suggested 62 fatalities, but the airline later revised the number.
Dramatic footage circulating on social media captured the moment the ATR 72-500 aircraft plummeted from the sky, its fuselage engulfed in flames upon impact. Emergency responders swiftly arrived at the crash site, which has since been cordoned off as they work to secure the area and begin recovery operations.
The aircraft, which was en route from Cascavel in Paraná to Guarulhos in São Paulo, lost signal shortly before 1:30 p.m. local time. Flight tracking data revealed that the plane, a twin-engine turboprop, experienced a rapid and unexplained descent, dropping 17,000 feet in just one minute. The final transmission from the plane occurred at 1:22 p.m. local time.
Authorities have recovered the black box from the crash site, which is expected to provide crucial information to investigators as they work to determine the cause of the accident. Guilherme Derrite, São Paulo’s Security Secretary, stated that a medical team is on-site, working to identify the victims. Many of the remains were too badly burned for immediate visual identification, and the bodies are being transferred to the Legal Medical Institute in Campinas for further processing.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva interrupted a scheduled naval event to address the tragedy, calling for a minute of silence in honor of the victims. “A plane has just crashed in the city of Vinhedo… and it appears they all died,” the President solemnly announced.
The governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, has established a crisis cabinet to manage the response to the disaster. Meanwhile, the city of Vinhedo has declared three days of mourning for the victims.
In a heart-wrenching twist, it was revealed that some passengers missed the tragic flight. One man, who was among those who missed boarding, recounted how he and others were at the wrong gate and were not allowed to board the flight. Reflecting on the tragedy, he expressed deep gratitude for having narrowly escaped the disaster: “Thank God, we didn’t get on that plane.”
The ATR 72-500 aircraft involved in the crash was manufactured in 2010 and was acquired by Voepass in September 2022. According to registration data, the aircraft had been “denied operation for air taxi,” but the reasons for this designation remain unclear. The plane’s manufacturer, ATR, has acknowledged the accident and is cooperating with investigators to uncover the cause of the crash.
The investigation, led by the Brazil Air Force and local authorities, is expected to shed light on the sequence of events leading to the tragedy. Flight experts have noted that the ATR 72 series has a history of incidents, with at least 15 recorded accidents involving fatalities. As the investigation unfolds, the focus remains on understanding what led to this catastrophic event and preventing similar occurrences in the future.
