A top aviation expert has revealed the most likely causes behind what caused a Brazil passenger jet to ‘death spiral’ in a horror crash yesterday.
A dramatic video from the scene on Friday showed a Voepass airlines plane falling from the sky as it plummeted behind a cluster of trees near houses, followed by a large plume of black smoke that killed all 61 people onboard.
WHY IT CRASHED
Captain Ross Aimer, who has over 40 years of experience flying passenger jets in the US, told DailyMail.com that the tragic plane could have experienced engine failure, flight control malfunction, or if a critical part of the aircraft – like a wing part – fell off.
And once you enter the death spiral, ‘it’s very hard to get out of it,’ he said.
The plane was on its way from Cascavel to Guarulhos when it began the sudden descent.
Aimer said the most likely cause of the crash was that the aircraft suffered a low speed stall – when the airflow over the wings is too slow to provide enough lift.
This happens when planes move too slowly. The three reasons this happens are either a technical fault, extreme turbulence, pilot error or something hitting the wing, like a bird.
The ATR-72 aircraft that crashed in Vinhedo, Brazil, was cruising at 17,000 feet, the airline said.
At that height, it was unlikely to be a bird, which leaves only two other scenarios.
After the plane likely stalled, video showed it spinning in circles as it crashed back down to earth.
This is known as a death spiral, or graveyard spin.
When the wing stalls and dips, and there is no power because the engine has turned off, the plane can go into a spiral where one wing is generating lift while the plane rotates around the other right into the ground.
This isn’t the first time an ATR aircraft has been involved in a deadly crash.
