07/09/2024
The preliminary report into the Voepass ATR 72-500 accident has been published.
The report, published by Brazil’s accident investigator Cenipa, indicates that the co-pilot was communicating with the Voepass operational dispatcher after the anti-ice alarm went on and off eight times. The pilots also received “CRUISE SPEED LOW” and “DEGRADED PERFORMANCE” alerts while flying in icing conditions at FL170. Two minutes before control of the aircraft was lost the co-pilot commented: “a lot of ice”.
The investigation found that the pilots activated the aircraft’s anti-icing system several times during the flight. However, there was a six-minute period where the plane continued flying with an ice warning, but the de-icing system was not engaged.
Cenipa’s report does not yet determine the cause of the accident, explaining that the agency has only analyzed the flight’s objective facts so far.
The pilots did not declare an emergency at any point during the flight.
