The chilling final words of a pilot on board a doomed flight that resulted in the deaths of all 62 passengers and crew have now been made public, painting a harrowing picture of the aircraft’s last moments.
Brazilian pilot Danilo Santos Romano likely realized the tragic fate of the aircraft just seconds before its devastating crash, and his last recorded words provide an eerie glimpse into the chaos unfolding in the cockpit.
A Catastrophic Descent
The ill-fated aircraft, an ATR-72 turboprop operated by Veopass, was en route from Cascavel, a city in Paraná state, to Guarulhos, in São Paulo state. The flight had proceeded normally until 1:21 p.m. local time, when the control tower lost all radio communication with the plane. By 1:22 p.m., the aircraft disappeared from radar screens entirely, leaving air traffic controllers scrambling for answers.
No distress signal had been sent before the crash, which took place around 1:30 p.m. in the town of Vinhedo, São Paulo state. Soon after, social media was flooded with disturbing footage of the aircraft spiraling toward the ground before vanishing behind a cluster of trees. Moments later, thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky, confirming the devastating fate of the flight.
Initially, reports stated that 61 people were on board, but later investigations revealed an additional unaccounted-for passenger, bringing the total to 62 fatalities. The crash left no survivors, though miraculously, no one on the ground was harmed.
Victims and Eyewitness Accounts
Among the deceased were prominent medical professionals who had been traveling to São Paulo for a cancer research conference. A particularly heartbreaking loss was that of three-year-old Liz Ibba dos Santos, who was flying with her father. The entire nation mourned the tragedy, with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva leading a moment of silence in honor of the victims.
As details emerged, stories of near-misses added another layer of eerie fate to the disaster. One man, who had booked a seat on the ill-fated flight, recalled how he arrived late at the airport and missed the plane. “My legs are shaking. Only God knows how I feel. I thank Him every second that I wasn’t on that flight,” he told local media.
Investigating the Cause
While the exact reason for the crash remains under investigation, aviation experts are considering multiple theories, with icing conditions being the most widely discussed possibility. Meteorological reports from the time of the crash indicated severe icing, which can be a major hazard for aircraft, particularly for the ATR-72 model.
Ice accumulation on an aircraft’s wings or engines can significantly impact performance, reducing lift and increasing drag. A history of icing-related incidents involving ATR-72 aircraft has been documented, including a fatal crash in Indiana in 1994, which killed 68 people, and a near-miss in Norway in 2016, where a skilled pilot managed to regain control despite severe icing.
However, some experts argue that weather may not have been the primary factor. John Hansman, an aeronautics professor at MIT, examined footage of the incident and suggested that engine failure or pilot mismanagement could have contributed to the plane’s catastrophic descent. His theory is supported by video evidence showing the aircraft rapidly losing control, possibly due to an unexpected technical malfunction.
The Pilot’s Final Words
The most chilling revelation came from the aircraft’s black box, which recorded the pilots’ final communications before impact. According to a leaked transcript, Captain Romano was heard urgently stating that the aircraft required ‘more power’ to maintain stability. In his final moments, his last recorded words were: “What is going on?”
These haunting words, spoken mere seconds before impact, encapsulate the sheer horror and confusion in the cockpit as the pilots fought desperately to regain control of the doomed aircraft.
In a press conference, Voepass CEO Eduardo Busch defended the crew’s professionalism, stating: “The pilots were well-trained and experienced. We are reviewing all available communication logs to piece together exactly what happened in those final moments.”
With the investigation ongoing, families of the victims are left with more questions than answers, hoping for clarity on what truly led to one of Brazil’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent history.