Brazil plane crash 'icing' may have caused deadly spiral as jet plummeted from sky killing 61

Brazil plane crash 'icing' may have caused the deadly spiral as the jet plummeted from the sky killing 61 people.

The jet crashed near São Paulo in Brazil in a sickening fireball seen from miles around . Horrifying footage captured on phones shows the moment a massive jet appears to stall in the air before plummeting to the ground.

Stunned onlookers can be heard screaming as the footage ends with fire and black smoke. According to local reports, the plane was almost full with some 62 people on board . Experts have speculated that 'icing' may have caused the crash - defined as the formation of water ice on an aircraft. Icing has resulted in numerous fatal accidents in history. Icing conditions exist when the air contains droplets of supercooled water.

READ MORE: Brazil plane crash crew were 'highly competent' and deemed 'fit to fly' ahead of 'death spiral'

READ MORE: VOEPASS passenger jet plummets to the ground and explodes leaving 'no survivors'

They freeze on contact with a potential nucleation site, which in this case is the parts of the aircraft, causing icing. Icing conditions are characterized quantitatively by the average droplet size, the liquid water content and the air temperature. it comes after officials said the crew were 'highly competent' and deemed 'fit to fly' ahead of 'death spiral', it has been reported.

Operated by Voepass, the jet was “an ATR-72, manufactured in 2010 and in good operating condition, with valid registration and airworthiness certificates,” a statement read. It added: "The flight had four crew members on board at the time of the accident and all were duly licensed and had valid qualifications." Voepass CEO Eduardo Busch said: "The entire crew was competent. We are waiting for access to all communications between the pilot and the control tower to have a broader understanding of what happened."

“On one hand, it is possible to retrieve data from the recorder, but on the other hand, there is a chance that, due to the severity of the accident, the recorders were damaged, making it impossible to access the recorded data,” Busch added.

The local fire service confirmed the plane fell to the ground in the Capela neighbourhood, near Vinhedo. Airline Voepass Linhas Aereas is yet to confirm how many passengers have died and have been injured, it says 62 people were on the aeroplane. It is unclear what caused it to suddenly plunge to the ground.