Aviation tragedy in Brazil prompts scrutiny of Voepass safety flaws
On Friday in Brazil, a devastating aviation disaster occurred, resulting in the deaths of 62 people. Meanwhile, a Voepass airline employee revealed recent incidents involving this airline's planes to the Brazilian media. The company has cancelled flights until August, citing "unforeseen operational circumstances."
Over the weekend, Voepass Airlines cancelled all flights on the Fortaleza-Fernando de Noronha-Natal route until 31 August. This decision was taken due to "operational necessity" following the accident on Friday, 9 August.
As a result of the tragedy, 62 people died. The ATR-72 aircraft flew from Cascavel in Paraná to São Paulo Airport in Brazil. Suddenly, it began to fall and crashed in Vinhedo for reasons not yet explained. On board were 58 passengers and four crew members.
New, disturbing information concerning another Voepass aircraft has now come to light. The turbo-prop ATR-42, serving the route where the accident occurred, was found to have a series of technical problems, which had already raised crew concerns earlier.
Disaster in Brazil: Incidents with Voepass aircraft
In February, a crew member filed a complaint with their supervisor, reporting several defects with the aircraft. One of these was a tear in the wing anti-icing system, which, according to him, could have been one of the reasons for the loss of lift by the ATR-72 involved in the accident - reported the Brazilian portal "O Globo."
Additionally, the complaint indicated that the aircraft performed troubling manoeuvres, such as detours and turns during flight. The complaint was accompanied by photos showing two tears in the wing de-icing system.
It is worth noting that if this system does not function properly, flights are suspended. However, this was not the only problem. The crew member noticed that the aircraft had one of the four brakes damaged, and there was a gap in the door through which one could fit a hand.
Defects in Voepass aircraft
According to reports from crew members and former Voepass employees, the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) banned the ATR-42 aircraft from flying in May.
ANAC confirmed that the Voepass aircraft was withdrawn from service for safety element inspections. So far, Voepass Airlines has not addressed the issues related to this plane, limiting itself to a short statement on the flight cancellations.
