STORY: :: A homeowner says he saw the plane that
crashed in Brazil 'exploding in the backyard'
:: August 9, 2024
:: Vinhedo, Brazil
"The plane crashed at my house. We are fine. There were three people in the house, me, my wife and the maid, we are all fine. At the time of the crash, we thought it was a helicopter breaking down due to the noise. At the time, I was almost leaving the house, me and the maid, and suddenly we saw the aircraft exploding in the backyard of my house.
JOURNALIST: "Did it cause any damage to your home?"
"Yes, plenty, but thank God above all, everything that was damaged was as minimal as possible. It was material goods. I just have to thank God for the way the aircraft crashed. I thank you. I'm leaving the place."
Homeowner Luiz Augusto de Oliveira told reporters he had thought the noise was a helicopter breaking down, as they gathered outside the entrance to his neighborhood in the town of Vinhedo, some 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.
Regional carrier Voepass had said the plane was carrying 57 passengers and four crew, but on Saturday (August 10) the firm confirmed another unaccounted passenger was on the flight, putting the number of casualties at 62.
The plane, an ATR-72 turboprop, was bound for Sao Paulo from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, and crashed at around 1:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) in Vinhedo.
Franco-Italian ATR, jointly owned by Airbus and Leonardo, is the dominant producer of regional turboprop planes seating 40 to 70 people. ATR told Reuters on Friday that its specialists were "fully engaged" with the investigation into the crash.
