Brazilian plane crash claimed the lives of all 62 passengers and crew members on board.
The ill-fated flight, operated by Voepass on an ATR-72 turboprop, was en route from Cascavel to Sao Paulo when it crashed in Vinhedo, approximately 80 km northwest of Sao Paulo, at 1:30 p.m. local time.
According to a report by local TV station Globo, investigators have obtained the complete transcript of the flight's "black box" recording.
This crucial piece of evidence reveals that the pilots detected trouble about a minute before the crash. The cockpit voice recorder transcript, which spans approximately two hours of audio, captures a critical exchange between the pilot and copilot.
In this exchange, the copilot is heard asking the pilot, "What's happening?" and expressing concern that the plane requires "more power" to stabilize.
Despite these alarming signs, the pilots did not declare an emergency or report adverse weather conditions, as confirmed by the Brazilian air force.
Disturbing video footage shared on social media shows the aircraft spiralling out of control and crashing behind a row of trees near residential homes, sending a massive plume of black smoke into the air.
The Brazilian aviation accident investigation centre, Cenipa, has issued a statement assuring that no media outlet has access to the voice recorder's audio, transcript, or data.
Cenipa declined to comment on the specifics of the report but emphasized that a comprehensive investigation is ongoing.
Authorities have neither ruled out nor confirmed the possibility of wing icing as a contributing factor to the crash.
Analysis of crash videos by aviation experts has sparked speculation that ice accumulation on the plane's wing may have played a role in the accident.
However, no definitive conclusion has been drawn yet. Investigators privy to the crash probe told TV Globo that analyzing the audio recording alone may not be sufficient to determine the cause of the accident, suggesting a more thorough investigation is needed.
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