“Rainha da Sofrência”

die in the plane crash

Investigations into the crash of the

aircraft that killed the singer Marília
Mendonça and four other people this Friday
(5) in Caratinga are ongoing. According to
the Civil Police of Minas Gerais, the investigation in the area of the accident was completed
on Saturday afternoon (6), and the next steps include listening to eyewitnesses of the
moments that preceded the crash.
The work to remove the aircraft and the wreckage from the accident site began on
Sunday (7).
This Monday (8), teams from the Center for Investigation and Prevention of
Aeronautical Accidents (Cenipa) and from a private towing company faced difficulties in
removing the two engines from the plane. One of them was found in an area of dense
forest. The other was submerged in the waterfall.
The samples of genetic material from the victims of the air accident were sent to the
Legal Medical Institute (IML) in Belo Horizonte for toxicological tests. The survey is
expected to be completed in 30 days.
The accident happened in the rural area of Caratinga, about 300 km from Belo
Horizonte. The aircraft hit a cable in the distribution tower of the Companhia Energética de
Minas Gerais (Cemig) and lost lift, which would have led to its fall.
The singer and her team were
aboard a King Air C90a model aircraft,
manufactured in 1984. It had a capacity
for six passengers and regular status,
according to the National Civil Aviation
Agency (Anac). The documentation and
authorizations of the flight team were
also up to date.
Pilot Geraldo Medeiros knew the rules of aviation and had been in the profession for
15 years.
 Also on Saturday (6), the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical
Accidents (Cenipa) informed that the plane did not have a black box – the equipment is not
required for this type of aircraft. However, a geolocator has been found, which could be
checked against the flight plan.
Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (Cemig) confirmed that the aircraft hit a cable
from a distribution tower. The affected distribution line is located outside the protection zone
of the Caratinga Aerodrome.
According to the regional delegate of the Civil Police of Caratinga, Ivan Lopes Sales, a
cable was wrapped around one of the plane's propellers. However, he said that it is not
possible to say that the cable was the one that broke in the energy transmission tower of
Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (Cemig).
There are two warnings for obstacles near Caratinga airport in documents called
INFOTEMP, issued by the Department of Airspace Control (Decea). This information is
public and mandatory knowledge for pilots. But the obstacles in the notice are not the high
voltage cables, as they are beyond the limits of the Basic Aerodrome Protection Plan.
In the months prior to the accident, other pilots had already reported to regional air
bodies that the electrical wires would hamper landing at Caratinga aerodrome. These are
reports called Notam (Aeronautical Notification), which indicate data on risks and alert other
pilots heading to the region about dangers to operate there.
Teams from the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents
(Cenipa) and a private towing company rescued, this Monday (8), the two engines of the
plane that crashed in the rural area of Caratinga, causing the death of Marília Mendonça
and of four more people.
The aircraft's engines and fuselage head to Rio de Janeiro, where the expertise is
expected to continue.
It's still not clear why the plane is flying low. Experts claim the pilot kept the aircraft
below the landing ramp. In the analysis made by Roberto Peterka, a specialist in flight
safety, it should have been around 100 meters above the cables with which it collided.
The investigative work of Cenipa and the Civil Police of Minas Gerais is now focused
on hearing witnesses of the accident and analyzing instruments and plane debris to clarify
the reasons for the tragedy. According to one of the reports heard by authorities, the
singer's plane had lost one of the two engines still in the air, after colliding with the wires.
The owner of the airline PEC Aviação, Milton Salsicha, was heard this Monday
afternoon (8). The content of the testimony was not disclosed by the Civil Police.