What is known about the plane so far?
4 min read
There are many speculations about the crash Singer Marilia Mendonca killed and four others, but the outcome of the official investigation is likely to take months.
Here are the main questions about the technical issues of the flight and the aircraft to be clarified.
Collision with high voltage wire
Hours after the accident, Simeg (Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais) reported that the twin engine collided with a cable in the company’s power distribution tower in Caratinga.
It is believed that this may have contributed to the falls, although Cenipa (Centre for Aviation Accident Investigation and Prevention), the body responsible for investigating the accident, has not yet analyzed this possibility.
Cemig issued a statement on Saturday (6), stating that the distribution line reached by the aircraft is outside the protection zone at Karatinga Airport. A protection zone is an area where obstacles cannot be built or installed above a certain height so as not to interfere with flights.
Cemig has released a photo showing where a plane collided with Marília Mendonça with a power line
Photo: Disclosure / Cemig
black box
According to the Air Force, the The plane that crashed into MG has no black box, which is equipment that records flight and voice information in the cabin. According to Lieutenant-Colonel Oziel Silvera, Commander of SERIPA 3 (Third Regional Service for Aviation Accident Investigation and Prevention), chief accident investigator, although it is not mandatory, owners can choose to include it in aircraft.
Documents and other materials related to the aircraft were collected for research purposes. It is expected that it will be removed from the site on Saturday (6) to be taken to the airport where it was supposed to land.
Other Windshield and Air Taxi Complaints
In June of this year, the Federal Public Ministry of Goiás referred to the Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency) complaints against PEC Táxi Aéreo, the company that operates the singer’s flight.
Among them, information that the same plane that crashed in Minas Gerais, registered PT-ONJ, has had windshield problems since the beginning of the year. According to the complaint, the windshield is blurred and the visibility is poor, which impedes landing and take-off operations.
The case was filed after the agency reported that the issue had been corrected. However, according to one of the manuals of the manufacturer of the model, King Air C90A, the windshield heating system, which would prevent such fogging, was an obligatory element, except in conditions when ice could form on this surface.
In the same document, other complaints were reported, such as the one that the company had poor installation of stretchers and oxygen cables on planes, as well as cleaning problems, which became an even bigger problem with transporting patients with Covid-19.
It is also indicated that the company, presumably, would not respect the pilots’ vacation days, and that it would have won irregular bids. Finally, it is also indicated that the company will not respect that each pilot spends the night in the destinations to which he is flying in single rooms.
PEC Táxi Aéreo is being searched for by UOL Since Friday, but she did not respond. Asked UOLThe MPF also did not comment until this text was published.
Irregular construction near the airport
According to data from the FAB (Brazilian Air Force), there are at least two unlit obstacles violating the protection zone at the nearby airport. One of them has apparently been identified as an energy sign, according to photos from Street View from Google From the website designated by First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Another object is the antenna, which will be a cell phone. Finally, the FAB also indicates that the hill where these objects are located will not have sufficient lighting to direct pilots about the danger of flying in the vicinity.
They are all in restricted areas, within the airport protection zone, where it is forbidden to erect higher obstacles (eg buildings, antennas, cranes, etc.). These things have been recently reported by pilots and included in recommendations for taking care of those landing or taking off in Karatinga in July and September of this year.
The plane was up-to-date, according to Anak
A plane transports artist Marilia Mendonca after landing in Minas Gerais
Photo: reproduction / social networks
According to you, The plane was in normal condition And authorized to carry out air taxi services. Certificate of Airworthiness Verification (CVA), a document that ensures that the aircraft complies with aviation technical requirements and has up-to-date maintenance, valid until July 1, 2022.
The King Air C90A was purchased in July 2020 by the company. Built in 1984, the aircraft was capable of transporting up to six people.
Aeronautics will investigate
In a statement, Cenipa (Centre for Aviation Accident Investigation and Prevention) informed that it had already begun an investigation into the accident. Initially, photographs of the site and wreckage are taken, parts of the aircraft are removed for analysis, documents are collected, and witness testimony is heard.
There is no deadline for closing the investigation, as this depends on the complexity of each case. Unlike a criminal investigation, where the culprits of accidents are sought, the investigation promoted by the Air Force only aims to identify the problems that caused the accident and prevent others with the same characteristics from happening.
Only the agency will officially determine what happened and the causes of the crash.
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