The clean sky and the sun on the morning of August 9, 2024 contrasted with. Minutes after the Flight 2283 from Voepass, the clouds took over the city, as if the weather translated the grief that spread. The news of a passenger plane that had crashed inside a residential condominium brought with it questions, anguish and a silent race to name at 62 lives interrupted.
At the scene of the fall, the heat of the flames had just dissipated when the first victims began to be analyzed. Some had documents in their pockets. Others, still sitting in their armchairs, with the uncovered seat belt. Much of these could be identified by digital. The coroner Carla Abgussen recalls that, even in the midst of destruction, it was possible to see something that is almost an instinct of those who are a father or mother: the attempt to protect.
“The way we found the children with the father and mother, respectively … The mother with the little boy, the father with the little girl. They were hugged. It was clear the attempt to protect the children from what was happening.”
Little by little, the bodies were taken to Central IML, in São Paulo, where identification work became a collective mission. Corrects, experts of anthropology, dental and papilloscopists acted together to accurately recognize who the victims were. Every detail mattered: a dental arch, a prosthesis, a preserved digital. Many belongings came along: wallets, bags, alliances. Other details also helped: signs of birth, tattoos and previous injuries.
In parallel, the Civil Defense organized the logistics to welcome families. The first relatives arrived in the capital on the weekend, many of them not knowing what to do. According to family reports, the airline failed and did not guide the processes, increasing suffering.
Among those seeking answers was Adriana Ibba, mother of little Liz, who traveled with her father that day. A ride that promised to be cheerful and became endless missing:
“The memories are the best possible. She was an active, healthy child, Sapeca. She liked to dance, sing, play” Moneca “. She lived little, but with a lot of love. Each morning, longing increases a fraction.”
In less than a week, all 62 victims had been identified and the bodies released to families.
While the IML teams ended their part, another task force began. Also on the night of the accident, investigators from Cenipa (Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center) and the Federal Police were at the scene. The aircraft’s black box was located and sent for analysis.
Despite the name, the black box is orange and houses two essential devices: CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder), which records the cabin audio, and FDR (Flight Data Recorder), which records flight technical data such as: altitude, speed, commands and failures. Together, the equipment is able to rebuild the last moments of the aircraft and reveal if there was human, technical or both failure.
Cenipa’s final report, not yet disclosed, as maintenance problems, crew decisions or weather conditions and will bring recommendations to the organs involved, focusing on preventing new tragedies.
The inquiry conducted by the Federal Police, also in the final phase, has another purpose: to point out the culprits and criminally responsible who, by action or omission, contributed to the accident. The investigation runs under confidentiality, but family members carefully follow each step and press for answers.
While the reports do not come, what remains is the emptiness. A void filled by the longing for those who left and the memory of a day when the heaven of Vineyard darkened inside and out.
This Thursday (7), the special series continues with an episode focused on investigations of the case. The report will address the factors that may have contributed to the fall of the aircraft, the operational relationship between Latam and Voepass and as emotional factors may have been decisive in the accident.
On Friday (8), the special material about one year of the accident will be shown at CNN Prime Time. On Saturday (9), when the tragedy completes a year, an extended version of the report will air, with new details about the case.
