What led to the Brazil plane crash that killed 61?

After the tragic plane crash in Brazil, authorities have launched a probe into the incident claiming the lives of 61 people on board.

Local airline Voepass' plane, an ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop, crashed as it went down in the city of Vinhedo. The video of the plane crash went viral on social media. The images recorded by the witnesses showed the aircraft in a flat spin and falling vertically before smashing to the ground.

The plane was headed for Sao Paulo's international airport in Guarulhos. It had 57 passengers on board and 4 crew members.

Reportedly, the formation of ice in the region of Vinhedo led to the plane crash. Local media citing experts also pointed to icing as a potential cause for the crash.

Meanwhile, Brazilian aviation expert Lito Sousa told The Associated Press that meteorological conditions alone might not be enough to explain why the plane fell in the manner it did.

However, there were forecasts for ice in the region on Friday, but that was within acceptable levels for the aircraft.

In January 2023, at least 72 people died on board when a Yeti Airlines plane crashed in Nepal. The probe report found the pilot's error behind that incident.

French-Italian plane manufacturer ATR in a statement said that the company specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer.

The Brazilian civil defence teams worked through the night removing the remains of the passengers. The victims of the family members were asked to approach with any medical, X-ray and dental exams to help identify the bodies.  

Costa Filho, the airport minister, said the air force's centre will conduct a criminal probe of the accident.

"We will investigate so this case is fully explained to the Brazilian people, he said.

The Centre in a statement said that the plane's pilot did not call for help nor indicated any adverse weather conditions. There has also been no evidence that the pilots tried to contact controllers of regional airports as well.

Brazil's Federal Police began its own investigation, and dispatched specialists in plane crashes and the identification of disaster victims, it said in a statement.