Crash expert ‘almost certain’ of cause for plane’s ‘death spiral’ which killed 62 – as black box recovered from wreckage

A CRASH expert is “almost certain” of the cause for the death spiral that saw a plane in Brazil fall out of the sky and kill 62 people onboard.

The revelation comes as the plane’s black box is removed from the wreckage, and is set to provide investigators with conclusive answers.

Expert crash investigator Celso Faria de Souza believes that the cause of the crash was almost certainly ice, he told Reuters .

Ice can freeze and collect on wings and propeller blades, impeding an aircraft’s performance by reducing thrust, decreasing lift and increasing drag.

But Marcelo Moura, director of operations for Voepass, said the icy forecasts were within acceptable levels for the aircraft to fly.

Investigators have also begun to work on the black box to figure out the cause of the crash.

The box, which is actually two boxes and orange, could be seen being prised open in footage published by local media.

The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder make up the black box were recovered from the debris yesterday.

A preliminary report on the cause of the crash is expected within 30 days.

Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Henrique Baldi investigating added that it was too early to determine whether ice caused the shock incident.

He said: “The plane is certified in several countries to fly in severe icing conditions, including in countries unlike ours, where the impact of ice is more significant.”

Captain Ross Aimer told MailOnline the chilling air disaster may have been caused by engine failure, flight control malfunction or due to part of the plane falling off mid-flight.

He added that once a jet begins to plummet into a death spiral it is “very hard to get out of it”.

The most likely reason for the issue may have been a low speed stall, the captain claims.

This occurs when the airflow going over a jet is too slow meaning the plane isn’t able lift up like it is supposed to.

It most commonly occurs when a plane is moving at a slow pace.

The pilot of the fatal flight – 35-year-old Captain Danilo Santos is highly unlikely to have been the cause.

Romano, from Sao Paulo had plenty of experience, logging over 4,500 hours, and working as a pilot for more than a decade.

Shocking footage showed the Voepass aircraft in an uncontrollable “death spiral” towards the ground in Sao Paulo state on Friday.

Onlookers were horrified as the out-of-control plane plummeted back to earth and smashed into a garden.

The plane was seen in a terrifying video spinning in circles before the fireball crash left no survivors.

Known as a “death spiral” or a “graveyard spin”, it is unknown why the plane entered the fatal plunge.

No residents at the home in Vinhedo, Sao Paulo were harmed.

Flight 2283 took off from Cascavel, Parana state, and was destined for Sao Paulo city’s main international airport – Guarulhos.

Eight of the dead were doctors with all 62 of the bodies having now been removed.

Stories of people having not got on the flight have also emerged.

The wreckage will also be removed and sent to a special centre for an investigation.

One person arrived too late to the check-in desk to board the flight, while another missed the flight after going to get a cup of coffee.

AP

Reproduction/TV Globo