Businessman Raphael Torres, 41, who was on board the helicopter that disappeared off the coast of São Paulo, sent a voice message to his son on Sunday afternoon (31) saying that the weather was bad in Ilhabela – the city that would be the original destination of the flight– and that the aircraft would attempt to land in Ubatuba.
“Son, I saw that you read my message now. I think I'll go to Ubatuba because Ilhabela is bad, man. I can’t get there,” he said. In the background, you can hear the noise of the helicopter engine.
Listen to the audio:
According to nutritionist Herika Torres, Raphael's sister, the message was sent at around 2:25 pm. This was the last contact made by the businessman before the aircraft disappeared.
Herika says that, at night, a family acquaintance tried to communicate with Raphael. According to her, the message was received on his cell phone, as WhatsApp indicated the two gray ticks. However, there was no return.
Also on Sunday, another passenger, Letícia Ayumi Rodzewics Sakumoto, sent a message to her boyfriend reporting that the equipment had made an emergency landing and that there was a lot of fog at that time.
She said she was scared and added that the helicopter would try to return. The young woman was unable to specify where the group was.
Hopes
This Friday (5), the search for the helicopter reached its fifth day. The businessman's sister claims that she has not yet given up hope of finding Raphael alive.
“Regardless of religion, the God who guides us all is the God of the impossible, right? He is the God who performed many miracles. So why not believe he would do it again?” he stated.
Herika admitted that, at times, negative thoughts arise, but that she tries to avoid them. “Sometimes we shake things up, like, 'Is this the case?' But when that happens, we quickly throw our thoughts away and say: 'we don't have anything concrete, there have been much worse accidents'.”
Monitoring searches
The nutritionist reported that she is in contact with the relatives of the other people who were on board. “We are constantly exchanging information. I have the contact details of Luciana's sisters and Letícia's fiancé and they obviously have mine. And any news we have, any search ideas, we have talked to each other via WhatsApp or by phone.”
Herika added that family members are also speaking to people in the region where the helicopter may have disappeared to try to obtain some local information, such as fishermen and tour guides.
A resident of the capital of São Paulo, she said that, in principle, she does not intend to go to the north coast to follow the searches there. “Maybe at the weekend. But I have faith in God that these searches will not go beyond today. So I’m not thinking about plan B. Plan A is that we’re going to have big news today.”
The missing
The Robinson R44 helicopter piloted by Cassiano Tete Teodoro took off early on Sunday afternoon from Campo de Marte airport, in the north of São Paulo, and was going to Ilhabela, on the north coast.
In addition to Cassiano and Raphael, businesswoman Luciana Rodzewics, 46, and her daughter, Letícia, 20, were on board the equipment.
During the flight, the pilot reported to the helipad where he would land that the meteorological situation in the region was bad and that he was trying to locate a “hole” to raise the helicopter's altitude and pass the cloud layer.
In aviation jargon, “hole” means a space with clear skies. The last dialogue between the pilot and the helipad operator was at 2:55 pm.
Video: Color of the helicopter also hinders the search, says expert
Source: CNN Brasil
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