'so scared'
Passengers complained about ‘old wreck’ Brazil plane just 24 HOURS before it crashed in ‘death spiral’ killing 62
It is the plane crash with the highest number of victims since the TAM tragedy in 2007 that left 199 dead
THE plane that crashed in Brazil killing all 62 on board was labelled an "old wreck" and was only in service for weeks before the deadly plunge.
Passengers and their families complained about the aircraft just 24 hours before it spiralled down to the ground and exploded in a huge fireball on Friday.
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The plane smashed into a residential area of the city of Vinhedo, Sao Paulo state, with locals filming it dropping and crashing.
The tragedy happened at about 1.25pm on Friday Brazilian time after the plane took off at midday.
The Voepass flight had left Cascavel, in the Parana state, and was bound for Guarulhos, in Sao Paulo.
Valinhos City Hall later confirmed all on board were dead and that no residents on the ground were injured or killed.
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One grieving mother said that Friday's crash "wasn’t a fatality, it was a crime" after the plane horrifically dropped out of the sky in a death spiral.
Maria de Fátima Albuquerque lost her daughter Arianne Albuquerque Risso in the crash, who was a resident doctor in oncology at the Cascavel Cancer Hospital.
The devastated parent slammed Voepass airline and called for rigorous investigations into the tragedy.
An emotional Mrs Albuquerque told on Sunday: “It wasn’t a fatality, anyone who was on that plane would have died, because it was an old wreck.
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"It wasn’t a fatality, it was a crime. Who can ease my pain? You’ll see me fighting every day."
Plane carrying dozens of passengers crashes with fiery explosion seen after deadly smash
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A tragic passenger on the fatal flight had also sent messages to her family saying she was “scared” of the “old” plane.
Rosana Santos Xavier, 23, had expressed her concern about the ATR 72-500 aircraft in the family chat group shortly after boarding.
She wrote: “I’m so scared of this flight, I swear, it’s an old plane.
“There’s a broken seat, it’s chaos.”
The 23-year-old’s mum, Rosemeire dos Santos Xavier, told her to read a Psalm to calm her nerves.
But she says deep down, she had a bad feeling.
A short while later, Rosemeire saw on the news that a plane had crashed.
Rosemeire told local media: “I panicked. I started running around the house screaming.”
Rosana was heading back to her home in Franco da Rocha near São Paulo, Brazil, after a work trip.
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
The plane had been undergoing a series of maintenance shutdowns, Brazilian news programme has found.
In March, the Voepass aircraft experienced a hydraulic problem and abnormal contact with the runway that caused "structural damage", leaving the aircraft out of operation for four months.
Following registration, the plane spent 17 days parked in the state of Bahia before taking off on March 28 to undergo repairs at the Voepass plant in Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paulo.
More than three months later, on July 9, the aircraft was finally used for commercial flights again.
The jet then returned to Ribeirão Preto without any passengers after experiencing a depressurisation in flight on the first route, which was from Ribeirão Preto to Guarulhos.
The aircraft was grounded for another four days in order to undergo repairs, Fantastico reports.
On July 13, the aircraft finally resumed operations, until it crashed last Friday.
The causes of Friday's crashed are still being investigated.
But those in the aeronautical community in Brazil are posing the theory of ice building on the wings after weather reports showed heavy ice formation along the flight route.
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'UNBEARABLE HEAT'
Just a day before Friday's horror crash, passengers on board the same plane reported suffering from the sweltering heat due to faulty air conditioning.
The same Voepass aircraft was on a round trip between the states of Sao Paulo and Goias hours before making the fatal journey the next day.
During the flight, passengers reported that they faced extreme heat due to the malfunctioning air conditioning, with one of them saying the temperature was "unbearable".
People were trying to cool down as best they could, with one man even taking off his shirt because of the heat.
Entrepreneur Ângela Espíndola, who flew from Goias to Sao Paulo said: "It was really hot. I was even scared because, usually, when you get on the flight, everything is ready to receive [the passengers].
"It got colder towards the end, arriving in Guarulhos [Sao Paulo]."
Civil servant Cleiton Feitosa added: "The heat inside the plane was unbearable."
Meanwhile, journalist Daniela Arbex said: “I was very distressed by that situation, because I thought, if they are not capable of carrying out proper maintenance on a simple air conditioner, is this flight safe?”
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THE VICTIMS
Among the 62 victims of the Voepass tragedy were two children, whose distraught families have now broken their silence.
Liz Ibba dos Santos, aged three, was travelling with her father Rafael Fernando dos Santos, 41, when tragedy struck.
After hearing the horror news of her daughter's death, grieving mother Adriana told Fantastico: "I lost the best part of me. The most beautiful thing. She was happy, she hugged and she kissed.
"She was in full development. Every day was something new. That was the greatest love and I lost it."
Meanwhile, a lawyer who also died in the plane crash was involved in at least 90 lawsuits against airlines.
Laiana Vasatta, 32, worked as a lawyer and specialised in aviation litigation.
She was involved in at least 90 legal cases against Brazilian and international airlines, according to reports.
In her videos, she explained how airline customers should handle issues like cancellations and overbooking.
During May’s devastating floods in southern Brazil, she advised her followers to show “common sense and understanding” before making demands of service providers.
Laiana was from Cascavel, Brazil, and was a partner in a local law firm specialising in consumer law and employment law.
She was travelling to São Paulo to attend a wedding on 10 August with her husband Fábio Bigolin.
Fábio was originally planning to catch the same flight but ended up heading to São Paulo earlier.
His brother, Rodrigo Bigolin, also had a lucky escape.
He had a ticket for Friday’s flight but, for reasons unexplained, was unable to board.
Carla Borges commented on one of Laiana’s posts: “I’m so deeply sorry. We studied together.
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“She was such a kind and polite young woman, and she’ll always be remembered with a lot of love and affection.
“My heart goes out to her family and her mother. It’s going to be tough.”
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