Summary

• A passenger scheduled to board Voepass flight 2283 missed the flight after purchasing a cup of coffee.
• The victims of the Voepass ATR-72-500 crash include fitness enthusiasts, a family from Venezuela and a group of doctors.
• Initial reports spoke of a warning of severe icing immediately before the crash; others compared the tragedy to an earlier ATR-72 disaster.

A passenger who was supposed to board the tragic Voepass Linhas Aéreas flight on Friday probably had no idea that his distraction over a cup of coffee ended up saving his life. The last-minute decision was made while the traveler was waiting to check in for the flight.

61 passengers on board the ATR-72-500 died after the aircraft apparently went into a spin and plummeted from an altitude of several thousand feet. An investigation into the tragedy has been launched to determine the cause of the crash.

An angry encounter

According to The Sunday Times, Adriano Assis is a hospital worker from Rio de Janeiro. While waiting for the check-in counter for Flight 2283 (PTB2283) to open, he decided to buy a cup of coffee. Assis then missed the flight as he was allegedly distracted. He begged the gate agent to let him board the plane, which ultimately led to an angry exchange of words, according to The Sunday Times.

When Assis was interviewed on television, he was moved to tears as he relived the encounter and realized how crucial the gate agent’s refusal to let him board was.

“He ultimately saved my life,” he said, according to The Sunday Times.

The victims on board

Lawyer Liana Vasatta had originally planned to take an earlier flight with her husband but was delayed. She then reportedly bought one of the last available seats on PTB2283. Other victims included Daniela Schulz, who was also travelling with her husband Hiales Fodra. The fitness-loving couple were on their way to America to celebrate Schulz’s birthday.

According to Voepass, the passengers on board had Brazilian travel documents. Three of the victims – a four-year-old boy, his mother and his grandmother – were from Venezuela. A Portuguese citizen was also on board. Several doctors, presumably oncologists, were also on board the flight to attend a seminar in São Paulo.

The video of the ATR-72-500 going out of control during the crash was widely shared on social media. On impact, the turboprop aircraft broke into pieces and burst into flames in the garden of a small apartment complex. Remarkably, no one on the ground was injured, but all passengers on board suffered severe burns.

One of the firefighters who arrived at the scene described a gruesome discovery to local media, according to The Sunday Times.

“We can identify them by the rows of seats, from the cockpit to the rear,” explained the first responder. “All bodies are as if they were sitting on the seats.”

An investigation is underway

The plane’s black box was discovered by investigators on Saturday. The Brazilian Air Force released a video showing investigators opening the cockpit voice recorder. The data will be an important part of the investigation into the cause of the crash, which was launched on Friday by the Center for the Investigation and Prevention of Aircraft Accidents (CENIPA).

Eduardo Busch, CEO of Voepass, spoke about the ongoing investigations.

“We are waiting to have access to all communications between the pilot and the control tower to gain a more comprehensive understanding of what is happening.”

Initial reports from Flightradar24 indicated that shortly before the plane crashed, there was a warning for severe icing at an altitude of 12,000 to 21,000 feet. Ice has been proven to pose a significant danger to aircraft as it increases drag and leads to accelerated stalls.

The data showed that the turboprop plane crashed from an altitude of 17,000 feet within 60 seconds. Brazilian aviation expert Lito Sousa described the situation as a flat-spin scenario and told the Associated Press that it was impossible “to regain control of the aircraft.” Others said the disaster was reminiscent of American Eagle Flight 4184, also operated by an ATR-72. The plane encountered severe icing conditions, lost control and crashed into a field, killing all 68 people on board.

While some military and aerobatic pilots have training to rescue aircraft from a flat spin, commercial pilots, who often fly larger aircraft, do not receive such training, the Sunday Times reports.

On Saturday, authorities released the identities of the pilots of Flight 2283. The captain was 35-year-old Danilo Santos Romano, who had at least 10 years of experience. He had reportedly been a captain at Voepass for just a year and had previously been first officer for eight months. His co-pilot was 61-year-old Humberto de Campos Alencar e Silva.