Brazil formally accuses 16 people over 2024 Voepass deadly plane crash

What the report says

Brazil’s federal police have formally accused 16 current and former Voepass airline employees in connection with the August 2024 crash of an ATR 72-500 that killed all 62 people on board. The move follows a two-year investigation into the disaster, which occurred in Vinhedo, outside Sao Paulo, when the flight traveling from Cascavel to Guarulhos international airport came down in the backyard of a gated condominium.

According to the police findings reported by Al Jazeera, investigators say the accident was tied to alleged malpractice, omissions and negligence within the company. Voepass owner and president Jose Luiz Felicio Filho is among those named, though prosecutors still must decide whether to bring formal charges. Some of the accusations include endangering air traffic safety and failing to record technical problems in aircraft logbooks. The police said the deaths could lead to prison terms of up to 12 years if charges are filed and convictions follow.

A key part of the case centers on the aircraft’s de-icing system. Investigators said data recorders showed repeated failures or manual cycling of the system over many flights, and that the plane was cleared to depart despite known severe icing conditions and earlier de-icing problems that same day. Police also suggested regulators, including Brazil’s civil aviation agency, may warrant further scrutiny. A separate Brazilian Air Force probe last month pointed to severe icing, mechanical failures and pilot distraction as contributing factors.