Brazilian investigators fault de-icing lapse in 2024 Voepass ATR 72 crash
CENIPA's final report on the August 2024 Voepass ATR 72-500 loss of control near Vinhedo found the aircraft departed with its airframe de-icing system inoperative and unrecorded. All 62 people on board died.
A Voepass Linhas Aéreas ATR 72-500 crashed near Vinhedo, São Paulo, on 9 August 2024. All 58 passengers and four crew members on board were killed.
CENIPA, Brazil's Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents, published its safety investigation report on 24 July 2026. The accident was classified under the ICAO CAST Common Taxonomy.
The report states the aircraft departed with the airframe de-icing system inoperative. This was not recorded in the technical log, and the Minimum Equipment List restrictions were not applied.
Severe icing had been forecast between 12,000 and 21,000 feet. Cruising at FL170, the ATR entered severe icing. Ice accumulated excessively on critical surfaces, aerodynamic drag increased, and the aircraft lost airspeed significantly. Eight separate "cruise speed low" warnings followed.
The aircraft stalled and descended in an abnormal attitude, then entered a flat spin. It settled into an almost constant rate of descent of roughly 14,000 feet per minute, completing five turns to the left over 68 seconds. Pitch varied between +10° and -62°, and left bank angles between 75° and 10°, until it struck the ground.
The cockpit voice recorder had earlier captured the aircraft commander noting de-icing system malfunctions. At one point the co-pilot stated he had forgotten to turn the system on.
Sources
- aerossurance.comThe Voepass ATR72 Icing Loss of Control Accident: “A Culture of Informality”