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The pilot who manned the aircraft that plummeted to the ground, killing all 62 people onboard, has been identified as the investigation continues into the South American air disaster.
Capt. Danilo Santos Romano, 35, was the first victim identified after the fiery crash Friday in Brazil, Dario Pacheco, the mayor of the city of Vinhedo in São Paulo, said.
According to Romano’s LinkedIn profile, he had over 10 years of aviation experience and worked for the Voepass Linhas airline since June 2023.
Romano was certified by both the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the U.S., his LinkedIn said.
PASSENGER PLANE CRASHES IN BRAZIL, KILLING ALL 62 PEOPLE ON BOARD, AIRLINE VOEPASS SAYS
The experienced pilot was in the cockpit when the ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop crashed into a residential area in the city of Vinhedo.
All 62 people aboard died in the fiery crash, local authorities and the airline said.
All the bodies are being moved to São Paulo’s police morgue, officials said during a press conference after the crash.
“Once all this evidence has been collected, we will remove the victims from the wreckage and place them in the vehicle to be transported to São Paulo,” Firefighter Maycon Cristo said at the crash site.
Four people with dual citizenship were among the victims — three Venezuelans and one Portuguese woman, the regional airline, Voepass, said.
The Venezuelans were identified as a 4-year-old boy, his mother and grandmother, Reuters reported, citing local outlet GloboNews.
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Footage of the deadly crash showed the plane drifting downward vertically, spiraling as it fell.
The wreckage site showed the obliterated plane fuselage in the residential neighborhood of Vinhedo, which is outside the city of São Paulo.
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Firefighters, military police and the civil defense authority all dispatched teams to the crash site. Authorities are using seat assignments, physical characteristics, documents and belongings such as cellphones to identify the victims,
The plane’s black box was found early on Saturday morning, federal authorities said.
There is no confirmation of how the accident happened, the airline said. Brazil’s aviation agency said in a statement it will be investigating.
