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Irish Daily Mirror

Last words of pilot before plane with mystery passenger on board crashes

A chilling four-word plea was the final message from a pilot before his plane nosedived, trailing black smoke and claiming the lives of all 62 people on board. The tragic incident unfolded in Brazil last August when a commercial aircraft plummeted to the ground, with the black box later revealing the harrowing last exchanges between pilot Danilo Santos Romano and co-pilot Humberto de Campos Alencar e Silva. The pair were the first to be identified following the crash, with Humberto's haunting query to Danilo, "What's going on?", marking their final moments. Humberto also reportedly called for "more power", as per local broadcaster Globo. However, Cenipa, Brazil's agency for aviation accident investigation, has not made any statements regarding the content of TV Globo's report. The ill-fated Voepass Airlines flight, an ATR-72 turboprop, was en route to Sao Paulo from Cascavel in Parana state when it met its end at approximately 1.30pm in Vinhedo. Eyewitnesses watched in horror as the aircraft spiralled out of control, crashing into trees and erupting in a billow of black smoke. Further adding to the mystery, it emerged that there was an unaccounted-for passenger aboard the flight, reports the Mirror US. Initially, Voepass reported 57 passengers and four crew members were on the flight; however, it was later confirmed that an additional person unlisted on the manifest was also present, raising the death toll to 62. The oversight regarding the extra passenger remains unexplained. Weather experts reported severe icing conditions in Sao Paulo state around the time of the tragic crash. The aircraft was operating normally until 1.21pm, after which it ceased responding to calls and radar contact was lost at 1.22pm, according to a statement from Brazil's air force. No emergency was reported by the plane. Brazilian aviation engineer and crash investigator, Celso Faria de Souza, expressed near certainty that ice was the cause of the accident. ATR-72 aircraft have had previous encounters with icing issues, including a devastating crash in Indiana in 1994 where 68 people lost their lives due to the plane's inability to bank because of ice accumulation. Following that incident, the manufacturer ATR enhanced its de-icing system. In 2016, an ATR-72 in Norway experienced difficulties due to ice build-up on the plane, but the pilot managed to regain control. Firefighter Maycon Cristo explained that authorities used seat assignments, physical characteristics, documents, and personal belongings such as mobile phones to identify the victims. The youngest passenger who perished in the crash was three year old Liz Ibba dos Santos, who was travelling with her father. Josgleidys Gonzalez, 29, her four year old son Joslan, her mother Maria Gladys Parra, and their six-month-old dog Luna also tragically died on Voepass Flight 2283. The bodies were taken to Sao Paulo's morgue, which sadly had to request victims' relatives to provide medical, X-ray, and dental records to assist in identifying the bodies. Blood tests were also conducted to aid identification efforts. Four academics from Unioeste university in western Paraná tragically lost their lives. The crash also claimed the lives of eight cancer specialists. Six esteemed oncologists and two resident doctors, nearing the end of their training, were en route from Cascavel to a cancer symposium in Sao Paulo when the VoePass Airline's ATR 72-500 aircraft met with disaster on Friday. Eduardo Baptistella from the Regional Medical Council shared the heartbreaking update: "Unfortunately we received very sad news and were able to confirm the death of eight doctors. The doctors were going to an oncology conference. These were people who dedicated their lives to saving others." Among the deceased doctors were radiologist Leonel Ferreira, paediatric cancer specialist Sarah Stella, and Silvia Osaki. Baptistella revealed although 15 doctors were originally booked for the flight, seven had opted for an earlier one. Arianne Risso was one of the devoted doctors, tirelessly aiding her patients in their fight against cancer. Her cousin, Stephany Albuquerque, reminisced that even as a child, Risso aspired to be a doctor, later dedicating herself to her studies so intensely that she seldom left home. Risso compassionately cared for terminally ill patients and "did everything with a lot of love," Albuquerque recounted to AP over the phone from Florida, where she currently resides. "She wasn't the kind of doctor who would tell the patient, 'this is your illness, take this.' No, Arianne took care of people. ... She would give out her personal phone number to patients." Risso, 34, was flying with her colleague Mariana Belim, 31. The two had been in residencies at Cascavel's cancer hospital, and a statement from the institution praised them for the conscientiousness, care and respect with which they treated their patients. "It's no wonder that praise for them both would often reach us. Their love of the profession was very clear," the hospital said. Willian Rodrigo Feistler, a general practitioner who grew up in Cascavel, knew six people who died in the crash and was particularly close to Belim, with whom he studied and had maintained a 15-year friendship. "Mariana was serene with a melancholic temperament, but very intelligent, empathetic and devoted to her profession," Feistler said by phone from Cascavel. "She dedicated much of her life to studies and medical training. She had already specialized in clinical medicine and was completing her specialization in clinical oncology", he added. José Roberto Leonel Ferreira, a recently retired doctor who also died, was one of Feistler's teachers during his undergraduate studies. He had a radiology clinic in Cascavel. "I went over cases with him on several occasions. He was a receptive person who helped other doctors in the discussion of cases to reach diagnoses," Feistler said. Brazil's Federal Council of Medicine said the loss of the doctors left Brazil's medical world in mourning, expressing solidarity for the victims' friends and relatives. Following the emergence of footage showing the horrific aircraft disaster, numerous individuals revealed they were meant to board the plane and could have perished had they not missed their departure. Adriano Assis had completed his hospital shift and was running behind schedule to catch the 11.56am flight from Cascavel Regional Airport in Cascavel, Paraná to São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo. Assis informed Brazilian media outlet G1 that he arrived at the check-in desk at 9.40am and observed there were no staff present. He remained in the vicinity, enjoying a coffee whilst repeatedly checking the departure and arrival boards for updates regarding flight 2283. "When I decided it was already 10.30am, there was a huge line here", he said. "I waited until it was 10.40am or so. The guy said I wouldn't be boarding anymore because it was an hour before boarding." Assis desperately begged the agent to let him on his return flight to São Paulo, but fortunately, he was unsuccessful. "At that moment, I argued with him and stuff, and that was it, and he saved my life, man," he recounted. "He did his job because... if he hadn't done it... maybe I wouldn't be in this interview today, sorry." Another shared with the media he and three friends missed their flight as they were at the wrong gate along with 10 other passengers. "When it was 11 o'clock, I came looking here. When I looked I said, 'Man, you're not getting on that plane anymore'," he explained. He even attempted to charm one of the gate staff into letting him on the plane. "I said, 'Girl, put me on this plane, I have to go, I have to go'," he pleaded. She replied firmly, "No ...What I can do for you is reschedule your flight.' So, she rescheduled it for 6.20pm."