By: Rachael Tan

Officials continue to investigate the cause of a fatal plane crash in Brazil which killed 62 people. Theories and speculations have started to form using videos, photos, and other clues.

The scheduled flight from Cascavel, Brazil, to São Paulo on Friday carried 58 passengers and 4 crewmates when it crashed in a gated community in Vinhedo, before reaching the airport. No one on the ground was injured.

Aviation experts around the world have watched videos showing the plane falling over 17,000 feet in a slow spin. Many spoke out and confirmed the reason behind the spin of the 89-foot aircraft before it hit the ground, that the plane had stalled.

Stalling means the aircraft lost the lift and energy it needed to stay in the air, and started falling.
“You can’t get into a spin without stalling,” said John Cox, an airline pilot for 25 years who now aids plane crash investigations. “It’s A plus B equals C.”

However we still don’t know why the plane stalled.

Some lingering questions include: Did ice build up on its wings? Did an engine fail? Was its stall-warning system working? Were the two pilots tired or distracted? Did someone sabotage the flight?

Crash investigators explained that they found two black boxes inside the plane, which contained information such as the flight data and other recordings from the cockpit. They are working to extract as many clues as possible from them.

“There is still no estimated completion date for this work,” Marcelo Moreno, Brazil’s chief crash investigator, said. “We are prioritizing quality over speed.”

Among the passengers on the flight were over four doctors on their way to a medical conference, and university professors, a D.J., a bodybuilder, and many more. All passengers were Brazilian, although three held dual citizenship with Venezuela and one with Portugal.

Rest in peace.