A top expert in the field of aviation has revealed what he believes to be the most likely reasons why a passenger jet in Brazil went into a 'death spiral' resulting in a horrific crash.
Terrifying footage showed the Voepass Airlines plane fall from the sky on Friday as it plummeted toward the ground behind a cluster of trees near houses. The footage showed a huge plume of black smoke as the aircraft plummeted to the ground in the crash that killed all 61 people on board.
Captain Ross Aimer has more than 40 years of experience flying passenger jets in the US. He's now explained that the plane may have experienced one of three things causing it to enter a 'death spiral' before ultimately crashing.
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The flight had departed Guarulhos and was en route to Cascavel when it began to rapidly lose altitude and ended up in the death spiral, that Captain Aimer explained is "very hard to get out of". Speaking to the Daily Mail, the experienced captain said the plane could have crashed due to engine failure, flight control malfunction, or if a critical part of the aircraft, such as the wing, had fallen off.
According to Captain Aimer, the most likely cause of the crash was a low speed stall, which happens when the airflow moving over the wings is too slow to provide lift to the aircraft. It happens when a plane moves too slowly, and is usually down to one of several reasons; a technical fault, extreme turbulence, pilot error, or something hitting the wing, like a bird.
A similar situation occurred with the US Airways Flight 1549, which crash landed on the Hudson river after a flock of birds hit its wing and shut off all power not long after take off while at around 700 feet. According to Voepass airlines, the ATR-72 aircraft was cruising at 17,000 feet before it crashed in Vinhedo.
At that height, it's unlikely that a bird would have collided with the wing, causing the low speed stall, meaning it had to be one of the other scenarios. After stalling, the plane was captured on film spinning in circles as it plummeted toward the earth, known as a death spiral or graveyard spin.
When the wing stalls and dips, and the plane has no power as the engine has shut off, the aircraft can enter a spiral where one wing generates lift as the plane rotates around the other, right into the ground. In a statement, the airline said: "Voepass has activated all means to support those involved. There is still no confirmation of how the accident occurred or the current situation of the people on board."
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The aircraft in question was a 14-year-old ATR772-500, according to FlightRadar24, as data from the flight tracker showed the plane dropped 13,000 feet in elevation in less than two minutes during the final moments of the fatal flight. GPS signal cut out just before 1.30pm local time.
"ATR has been informed that an accident occurred in Vinhedo, Brazil involving an ATR 72-500," a spokesman for ATR said. "Our first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by this event. The ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer."
It's not the first time an ATR aircraft has been involved in a fatal crash. In 1994, an ATR-72 crashed into the Atlas Mountains as it climbed to 16,000 feet on a flight in Morocco from Agadir to Casablanca. It was ruled pilot suicide, with everyone on board killed. In 2017, an ATR-42 crashed in 2017 after flying into severe icing conditions and losing control in Canada, killing one passenger.
However, Captain Aimer said the ATR-72 is a relatively safe aircraft. He did say, however, that these planes are not commonly used for commercial air travel in the US, adding that in the US, "we've been very lucky that we have great training in us and safety record".
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"But nevertheless, we can never let our guards down. We need to do much better in the technology, safety training, and experience," he added. The Brazilian Air Force has sent a team of investigators to the site while Brazilian President Luiz Inácioo Lula da Silva held a moment's silence for those killed in the crash at an event on Friday afternoon.
According to Brazil's Civil Defense, the plane hit several houses within the residential area. Sao Paulo federal police confirmed that one resident was injured following the impact, while Sao Paulo's Governor Tarciísio de Freitas is said to be returning from Vitória to manage the situation.
"The Superintendence of Technical and Scientific Police (SPTC), the Civil and Military Police are mobilized to rescue the victims," said his agency in a statement. "Teams from the Legal Medical Institute (IML) and those responsible for collecting bodies were also sent to reinforce the work."
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