On Saturday, Brazilian authorities initiated the examination of the black boxes from a flight headed to São Paulo that tragically crashed from an altitude of 17,000 feet on Friday, killing all 62 people aboard.
Aviation experts globally speculated that the 89-foot aircraft had stalled after viewing videos of it spinning downwards before hitting the ground nearly flat. A stall occurs when the aircraft’s wings lose the lift necessary to keep it airborne, causing it to fall rather than fly. John Cox, a former airline pilot with 25 years of experience who now contributes to aircraft crash investigations, explained, “A spin cannot occur without a stall.”
While the stall of VoePass Flight 2283 remains unexplained, several potential causes are being considered: a significant reduction in speed, excessively high nose pitch, ice accumulation on the wings, engine failure, malfunctioning stall-warning systems, or pilot fatigue or distraction.
Thomas Anthony, who directs the aviation safety program at the University of Southern California, noted, “It’s usually not just one factor that causes such incidents.”
The aircraft, carrying 58 passengers and four crew members, crashed into a gated community in Vinhedo shortly before its arrival in São Paulo. Fortunately, no ground casualties were reported. Brazilian crash investigators have retrieved the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, emphasizing that their analysis prioritizes thoroughness over speed.
Preliminary theories suggest the crash may have been partly due to severe icing, which can impair a plane’s aerodynamics and increase its weight, necessitating higher speeds to prevent stalling. Celso Faria de Souza, a Brazilian aeronautical engineer and forensic expert, indicated that the plane’s uncontrollable spin could have resulted from ice affecting the wing functionality and aircraft controls.
The area had been under a severe icing warning at the time of the crash, and another aircraft had reported similar conditions shortly before the incident. The crashed ATR 72-500 turboprop, equipped with a de-icing system consisting of inflatable rubber tubes on the wings, raises questions about whether this system was activated or had failed.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former Federal Aviation Administration crash investigator, queried whether the anti-icing system had been engaged or if it had malfunctioned. This type of aircraft experienced a similar icing-related crash in 1994, leading to improvements in the de-icing systems by the manufacturer.
Despite the potential icing issue, experts believe that pilots can usually prevent such conditions from causing a stall, even if the aircraft’s systems are compromised. Pilots should be able to visually detect ice accumulation and could lower the aircraft to warmer altitudes to melt the ice—a feasible option given the 63-degree ground temperature where the crash occurred.
However, there was no emergency communication from the pilots before the crash, which remains puzzling. Joselito Paulo, head of the Brazilian Aviation Security Association, suggested potential communication failures or unrecorded transmissions as reasons for the silence.
At the crash site, rescue efforts continued into Saturday evening, with officials recovering 42 bodies by nightfall. The passengers included several professionals such as doctors, university professors, and others en route to various commitments, highlighting the profound impact of the tragedy on the Brazilian community.
