Pilot Blog | Airline Pilot about the Brazil ATR-72 Crash | What Caused the Stall?

A Voepass Linhas Aereas Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration PS-VPB performing flight 2Z-2283 from Cascavel,PR to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil) with 58 passengers and 4 crew, was in the initial approach at FL170, when the aircraft spun out of control and crashed into a residential area on approach to Sao Paulo coming down in Vila Santa Fe,SP (Brazil) about 7nm southeast of Viracopos Airport and about 40nm northwest of Guarulhos Airport, approximate coordinates S23.062 W47.011, at about 13:22L (16:22Z). The aircraft broke in several parts and burst into flames.

The airline confirmed the aircraft carrying 58 passengers and 4 crew had an accident near Vinhedo,SP (Brazil), circumstances of the accident as well as situation of the people on board are yet unknown.

Hospitals at Vinhedo and Valinhos have been put on alert to receive possible injuries.

Local Authorities reported although the aircraft crashed near residences with people inside, no people on the ground have been injured.

Brazil's CENIPA have opened an investigation.

🔥 Support Pilot Blog on Patreon!

My name is Denys, and I am Boeing 737 Captain. Before I used to fly ATR 42/72.
I am making the videos on this Pilot Blog channel to encourage people all around the world to join our aviation community.
Here you'll see interesting aviation videos from pilot's perspective. Enjoy:)

✈ By the way follow me on Instagram I have up to date uploads there.

✈ Pilot Blog Telegram Channel:

✈ Pilot Blog Discord community:

✈ SUBSCRIBE!!!

[LucasRocha-xjtm]

The fact that the airplane crashed into a residential site, at the backyard of a home, and absolutely no one on the ground died is astonishing

[silvanschneider]

As a Student Pilot I can say: Today here in Brazil was a very SAD day! We still can't believe it happened, please pray for the families!

[cindygagliano]

Thank you for your perspective of this crash. You make it very easy to understand for someone who isn’t a pilot. My heart goes out to all of the family members who lost a loved one. My brother, Jeff Gagliano, was the first officer and was flying the ATR on flight 4184, that crashed in Indiana on October 31, 1994. It will be 30 years ago in October and the memories of the crash never goes away.

[suzanasieburger]

Deep condolences, from a Brazilian, whose father was a pilot for 37 years for Varig Airlines.😢

[nicholasbradley-zqfw]

To all the families of the lost loved ones of this flight, my heartfelt thoughts are with you.
Bless you all . xx

[vzlnpre]

Very helpful to listen to this pilot explaining what might have happened. So important to have pilots update their skills in the simulator. Terrible tragedy. Prayers for the families.

[robertworden]

very thoughtful and professional play by play of a very tragic event. Very helpful having an ATR 72-500 familiar pilot providing information. Thank You.

[ArthurAviator]

I’m a student pilot from Brasil, today is a sad day for us, very sad accident. 😢

[mariadinoraaraujodossantos]

RIP to the passengers and crew members ❤

[neattechnologiestz]

We send our condolences from Tanzania 🇹🇿

[guidoalvarez]

Hi Denys, Im an ATR Captain, and in my opinion the most likely scenario was a Severe Icing condition. According to SIGMET from the region of the crash, there where reports of Severe Icing from FL120 until FL210. Also, some jets (a LATAM A320 and some Azul Embraer) reported icing formation on the windshields (very rare condition for a jet).
I'm incline to believe that they encounter a lot of ice, in a very rapid manner. After that, all the commands of the plane where completely ineffective due to the changes in the aerodynamic of the wings and elevators. You could see a similar scenario at the Aero Caribbean 883 crash in Cuba (extreme sever icing condition followed by a total loss of control and a spin with GS nearly at 0kt).
Hope all the best to the families that lose someone! RIP for those who died.

[MorarnaEspanhaeEuropa]

According to the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program Brazil has one of the best levels of air safety in the world. Before today, it had been 17 years since the last accident in Brazilian commercial aviation.

[Foxeknighton-beatty]

This is so, so sad. My heart goes out to the people who were onboard that had to know what was happening. Sending condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed. To see this as it happened is chilling. What a horrible nightmare for everyone involved. May God bless their souls.

[badmonkey]

There's poor passengers had to be completely mortified. ATRs are very susceptible to severe iceing conditions and if you get one in a flat spin they're almost impossible to recover because of the two engines being so far out side of the center of gravity. Condolences to those families man this is so sad.

[stuartatkins]

You, blancolirio and Pilot Debrief all do excellent analyses of airplane mishaps. Thank you for your work.

[jaquelinekaku]

😔...sad moment for Brazil... Thank you for the excellent explanation .... 🕊🌷

[xxtwobitxx]

Man that is really sad. I pray for the lost souls and there families

[CanalDoVota]

Important context needed: There was an "Aircraft icing warning" issued for that flight path. Most probably deicing mechanisms failed, leadind to a deadly ice acumulation on the wings, causing the stall. There are several icing warnings on this aircraft's manual. Im Brazilian, and it was a very sad day to all of us here. RIP to the victims.

[benjaminpohl]

As a former ATR pilot this really gives me goose bumps... - I have a bad feeling that the icing suspicions might turn out to be true as a cause for this crash. The onset of the spin looks like an upset (altitude overshoot / loss of control, possible due to icing of the stabilizer), followed by stall and they failed to recover from that but maybe that wasn't even possible if the stabilizer suffered from icing.

[ahmedismail]

My condolences and prayers to the families that is affected by this tragic plane accident.

I m grieving with u from all the way Somalia 🇸🇴. 😢😢