According to experts, a plane crash can be due to a number of factors. (File)
Rio de Janeiro:
An ATR-72 turboprop plane operated by regional airline Voepass crashed into a residential area near Sao Paulo, Brazil on Friday, killing all 62 passengers on board.
Investigators have recovered the plane’s so-called black box containing voice recordings and flight data. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, the head of Brazil’s aviation accident investigation center, Cenipa, said on Sunday.
HOW DOES THE CRASH OCCUR?
The plane was en route to Sao Paulo from Cascavel, Parana state, and crashed in Vinhedo, some 80 km northwest of Sao Paulo, at around 1:30 p.m. (1630 GMT).
The plane flew normally until 1:21 p.m., when it stopped responding to calls and radar contact was lost at 1:22 p.m., Brazil’s air force said in a statement. The aircraft did not report an emergency.
Videos of the event show that the sky was apparently clear when the plane began turning in an unusual circular motion.
WHAT WILL THE EXPERTS BE LOOKING FOR?
US aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said investigators would look at aspects such as the weather and whether the engines and controls were functioning properly to help identify what caused the loss of control.
COULD THE WEATHER CONDITIONS HAVE CAUSED THE CRASH?
Videos of the crash analyzed by aviation experts led some to speculate that ice had built up on the plane. On Friday, Voepass said ice had been forecast at the altitude the plane was flying, but it should have been within an acceptable level.
Brazilian aeronautical engineer and crash investigator Celso Faria de Souza said he is almost certain ice caused the accident, judging from the video.
ATR-72 aircraft have experienced problems with icing: a 1994 crash in the US state of Indiana killed 68 people after the plane was unable to roll over due to ice buildup. After that incident, manufacturer ATR improved its defrosting system. In 2016, an ATR-72 in Norway experienced problems after ice collected on the aircraft, but the pilot was able to regain control.
CAN THE ENGINE FAIL?
John Hansman, a professor in the aerospace department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, viewed some footage of the crash in Brazil that was shared on social media and, without reviewing the flight data, said the crash was not caused by the weather seemed to have been caused.
It may have been an engine failure on one side, mismanaged by the crew, which would lead to a downward rotation, Hansman said.
ARE MULTIPLE FAILURE POINTS POSSIBLE?
According to experts, plane crashes can be due to a number of factors. Among them may be ice, engine failure or human error. In many cases, there is more than one cause, said Robert A. Clifford, an attorney who represented some families of the 1994 crash victims.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
