Acre's second largest air crash turns 23; Contilnet Interview Survivor - News Room USA

On August 30, 2002, Acre was shaken by one of the largest aerial tragedies in its history. The plane from Rico Linhas Aéreas, which made the 4823 flight from Cruzeiro do Sul to Rio Branco, fell a few kilometers from the head of the track of Placido de Castro International Airport.

Rico’s accident killed 23 people and was the second largest in the state/Photo: Reproduction

The aircraft, an Embraer Emb-20 Brasilia, carried 31 people on board. The accident left 23 dead and 8 injured, six in serious condition and two with light injuries. Among the victims were Federal Deputy Ildefonço Cordeiro (PSDB) and his wife, Arlete, veiled at the Acre Legislative Assembly, as well as the regional coordinator of the National Health Foundation (Funasa), Ailton Rodrigues de Oliveira.

The impact of the fall was so strong that wreckage were scattered in an extensive area, in the middle of the closed forest, in heavy rain. The aircraft collided with a gate, killed six calves and two cows that were in the area and suffered structural damage so severe that its recovery was considered unviable.

Victims were carried on traced pickup trucks, many people volunteered to help with rescue - Photo: Reproduction/Amazon Network Acre

Victims was carried on traced pickup trucks, many people volunteered to help with rescue/photo: Reproduction/Amazon Network Acre

That night the Acreans were preparing to watch the show of singer Frank Aguiar, in Rio Branco. The event was canceled, and the population followed the news of the tragedy in shock.

Acre’s second largest air crash

This was the second worst air disaster in state history. The most serious occurred on September 28, 1971, in Sena Madureira, when a Cruzeiro do Sul DC-3 plane crashed into the engine, collided with trees and exploded in the Boca do Caeté community just minutes from the city center. The 33 people on board died charred.

Acre’s second largest air crash completes 23 years/Photo: Reproduction/Acre Amazon Network

Survivors and tragedy marks

Among the eight survivors of flight 4823 was the doctor Pulmonologist Maria Célia Rocha, who at the time held the position of Undersecretary of Health of Acre. She had spent a week in Cruzeiro do Sul on an official mission, accompanied by technicians from the Secretariat and representatives of the Ministry of Health.

In an exclusive interview with ContilNetCelia remembered the moments that changed her life:

“I had full jaw fracture, all broken ribs, perforated lungs, the spleen rotates, fractures in the spine, knee and crushed feet. It seemed that they had placed me in a high rotation blender. But even unconscious, I managed to conduct my own rescue, asking not to be transported, because otherwise I was drowning in my own blood.”

Medical Célia Rocha/Photo: Reproduction

The doctor survived after spending three months and twenty days admitted to the ICU in Sao Paulo and undergoing 44 surgeries. Today, more than two decades later, she faces her survival as an act of faith and purpose:

“I am alive is not for beauty, I am alive for God’s mercy. I know I have a mission to fulfill, and as long as He allows me, I will fulfill.”

Causes never fully clarified

After 23 years, the investigations have not clearly pointed to a definitive reason for the fall. The Cenipa (Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center) report has raised hypotheses such as bad weather, crew fatigue and even the possibility of lack of fuel.

Célia Rocha, however, has her own conviction:

“They say it was a wind scissors, but for me no one takes it out of the head: the plane had no fuel. If it had, it would have exploded in the impact, and it didn’t explode. Besides, nothing worked: no oxygen mask fell, the lights did not light, the black box did not record anything. The company knew the problems and did nothing.

Acre's second largest air crash turns 23; Contilnet Interview Survivor

Acre’s second largest air crash completes 23 years/Photo: Reproduction

Remains

Flight 4823 falls marked in the memory of acreans as an episode of pain, irreparable losses and also overcoming.