The air accident that caused the death of singer Marília Mendonça and four other people last Friday (5), in Minas Gerais, is in the process of investigation and the conclusion of the investigation could take months to be concluded, according to specialists.
However, in recent days, some stages of the investigative process have already advanced to speed up the conclusion on the cause of the accident. Despite the efforts of the authorities, there are still unanswered questions, as explained by flight safety expert Roberto Peterka.
There are still several unanswered questions: Why was the plane flying lower than it should have been? Was it in an emergency? Had there been a problem? What happened to make it below what it should be? How was the planning? How did this flight unfold?
Roberto Peterka, Flight Safety Specialist
The company Fervel Auto Socorro confirmed this Monday (8) that the aircraft will be taken to Rio de Janeiro for a new inspection. According to the specialist in flight safety, the investigation is basically composed of three areas: the human factor, the material and the interaction between machine and human being.
“The human factor, which involves the physical and psychological part of the pilots, assesses how healthy they were, whether they were using medication, what were the consequences of these medications, whether there was something that would incapacitate them, how they were physically. Psychologically, it is evaluated whether they were facing difficult moments in life, whether what they were going through could influence the pilots’ decision-making”, said Peterka.
The second analysis, according to the specialist, studies everything from the design of the plane to the maintenance carried out.
“In aviation it’s like this: you present a project, which is studied. If there are no faults, then the manufacture of the aircraft is authorized. The factory has to undergo an inspection to prove that everything that was in the project will be kept and also what material will be used, material that is proven to be safe”, he said.
“In this phase, it will also be stipulated what type of maintenance will have to be done for it to be considered safe, or, as they say, airworthy”, added the specialist.
Finally, the investigation includes the item interaction between machine and human, which is the operational factor.
“The maintenance that was carried out is taken into account, whether it was carried out in an approved workshop, whether the person who performed the maintenance was accredited, the training that the pilot underwent, the meteorological issue, whether there was planning, is analyzed,” he said.
About 20 factors, which are related to the interaction between the human being and the performance of the plane, are analyzed in an investigation after an air accident, according to the expert.
He explains that, in some cases, the investigation can take more than a year, depending on the complexity of the accident.
“There is no stipulated deadline due to the complexity and number of laboratory tests on the equipment; some may be needed abroad, depending on availability and the queue waiting for research and analysis. But this does not mean that security measures are not adopted. During the investigation, when a necessary measure is identified, a safety recommendation for a correction is issued”, he explained.
What is already known about the investigation
The Civil Police teams completed the investigation at the site last Saturday (6), while the work of the teams of the 3rd Regional Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Service, Rio de Janeiro’s Regional Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa ), was completed on Sunday (7).
The material collected from the bodies will help forensics to identify what caused the death of the aircraft’s occupants.
The transfer of the twin-engine to Rio de Janeiro will take place after removing all the parts and should take place until Tuesday (9). The aircraft did not have a black box, but a geolocator was found, which will be used to compare the flight plan. The device is one of the pieces of evidence to understand the causes of the accident.
So far, what is known is that the aircraft flew below what was considered ideal when it crashed into the cables of the power tower. According to specialists, knowing the reasons for the low altitude of the plane is the main factor to be unveiled in this investigation.
Investigators in Caratinga, the city where the accident occurred, carried out the work of identifying witnesses who witnessed the fall.
The identification of these people and the testimonies will be forwarded to the investigators of the Third Regional Service for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Seripa 3), which is responsible for investigating the cause of the aircraft crash.
All objects collected on the aircraft were sent to the Instituto Médico Legal (IML) in Belo Horizonte for analysis. The Civil Police will await the autopsy and accident site reports to present the results of the investigation and the real cause of deaths for all occupants.
MPT investigates complaint against airline
The Public Ministry of Labor in Goiás (MPT-GO) opened an inquiry to investigate possible labor irregularities committed by PEC Táxi Aéreo, the company responsible for the plane that crashed and caused the death of singer Marília Mendonça and four other people.
Target for complaints by employees, the company is investigated for possible disrespect to working hours and lack of rest by the pilots.
The first anonymous tip was made in May this year, according to the chief labor attorney, Alpiniano do Prado Lopes.
Remember air accidents with Brazilian personalities
(With information from Iuri Corsini, Thayana Araújo, Lucas Janone and Cláudia Tavares)
Reference: CNN Brasil
