French team assists in removing plane crash debris in São Paulo
On Sunday (Aug. 11), the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Cenipa) of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) commenced the removal of engines from the Voepass Linhas Aéreas aircraft, registration PS-VPB. The aircraft crashed on Friday afternoon (9), in a residential condominium in Vinhedo, São Paulo state. The accident resulted in the deaths of 62 people, including 58 passengers and four crew members.
The removal of the aircraft's engines was overseen by representatives from France's Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile – BEA (French Bureau of Investigation and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety), which is headquartered at the French company Avions de Transport Régional (ATR), the manufacturer of the aircraft. Also present were representatives from the Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB), which certifies the PW127M turboprop engine, developed and manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Both agencies are counterparts to Cenipa in Brazil.
According to a statement released by FAB on Sunday morning, the turboprop engines from the French-Italian Avions de Transport Régional (ATR) aircraft will be initially stored in São Paulo.
On Saturday (10), Cenipa/FAB professionals accessed the cockpit voice and data recorders from flight 2283, which are contained in two black boxes. The institution estimates that the analysis of the data will be completed within 30 days, at which point the Preliminary Aircraft Accident Report will be released.
