A passenger plane carrying 61 individuals crashed outside São Paulo on Friday afternoon, resulting in the death of all those on board, according to a statement from the airline Voepass. The aircraft, identified as Flight 2283, was en route from Cascavel in Paraná state to Guarulhos in São Paulo when it lost signal shortly before 1:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. ET).
Voepass, which confirmed the tragic news, initially reported 62 fatalities but later revised the figure to 61. The plane was carrying 57 passengers and four crew members. All passengers were Brazilian nationals, though it is not yet confirmed if any held dual citizenship.
Dramatic footage circulating on social media captured the harrowing moments of the crash. Videos showed the ATR 72-500, a twin-engine turboprop aircraft, spiraling uncontrollably before crashing to the ground and erupting into flames. Eyewitnesses reported shouts of fear from the neighborhood as the plane descended. The wreckage, engulfed in flames, was depicted in subsequent videos. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported among individuals on the ground, as confirmed by city officials.
Flight tracking data reveals that the plane experienced a catastrophic descent. The aircraft dropped 17,000 feet in just one minute. The rapid descent began after the plane had been cruising at 17,000 feet until 1:21 p.m. local time, when it first lost altitude by about 250 feet in ten seconds, followed by a brief climb of approximately 400 feet in eight seconds. Shortly afterward, the plane experienced a sudden drop of just under 2,000 feet before the final rapid descent.
The last data transmission from the plane occurred at 1:22 p.m. local time, just moments before the crash. The cause of the sudden and dramatic altitude loss remains unclear, and an investigation is underway to determine the factors leading to the tragedy.
The aviation community and local authorities are focused on understanding the circumstances surrounding the crash and offering support to the families affected by this devastating incident. The loss of all 61 lives on board marks a tragic day for aviation and the Brazilian public. The footage of plane crash showed that the plane suddenly spiraled from the sky and the cause of this crash is not known as yet.
