Voepass: understand the chain of responsibilities that led the PF to indict 16 people The Federal Police (PF) concluded that the crash of the Voepass flight that killed 62 people in Vinhedo (SP), in August 2024, was not the result of an isolated error, but of the accumulation of failures and omissions involving professionals from different areas of the company. The PF chief delegate in Campinas (SP), André Almeida de Azevedo Ribeiro, stated that the investigation identified a chain of responsibilities, ranging from pilots and mechanics to flight dispatchers, directors and the owner of Voepass. In total, 16 employees, former employees and managers for attacks on air transport safety, an air accident resulting in death and ideological falsehood. Voepass accident: who are those indicted for the air disaster with 62 deaths According to the investigation, the aircraft had recurring failures in the deicing system, essential equipment for operations in conditions of ice formation, such as that found on the route between Cascavel (PR) and Guarulhos (SP) on August 9, 2024. The problem was known within the company, it had already been the subject of notes from the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) and, according to the PF, was successively ignored or omitted from mandatory maintenance records. In a note, Voepass states that it understands that the Federal Police report is part of the investigative phase and "will await the next procedural developments, and, if applicable, will fully exercise its right to defense, in accordance with current legislation" - read the note in full below. ?? Understand, below, the chain of responsibility identified by the PF that led to the crash of the aircraft: Pilots' conduct Maintenance failures Flight dispatchers The 'nerve center' of the operation Pressure to keep planes flying Operational safety and presidency Conclusion What Voepass says Plane debris in Vinhedo (SP) this Saturday, August 10, 2024 Nelson Almeida/AFP Pilots' conduct In the Federal Police's assessment, one of the Links in the chain of responsibility involved the conduct of different company pilots. Commander Edson Serra Martins, who operated the aircraft on one of the previous flights that same day, was indicted for ideological falsehood. The PF concluded that he recorded the expression "nothing to report" in the aircraft's technical book, although he verbally communicated to mechanics a failure in the deicing system. Luciano Alves de Macedo, commander of the last flight carried out before the accident crew took over the aircraft, was indicted for attacking the safety of air transport. According to the report, he did not formally record failures identified during the operation, allowing the aircraft to continue flying without adopting the planned corrective measures. The chain of events continued with the crew of the flight that crashed in Vinhedo. In the operation that preceded the accident, between Guarulhos and Cascavel, the commander even commented, in audio recorded in the black box, about the ice accumulated on the aircraft. Delegate André Almeida de Azevedo Ribeiro highlights that the aircraft was dispatched due to the severe ice level and that "the aircraft did not crash on the outbound flight by a very small amount". In the cabin audio, an outburst: “We arrived alive”. Black box recorded crew outburst on Voepass outbound flight Maintenance failures In the maintenance area, the PF attributed direct responsibility to mechanic Alex de Souza Leandro, who signed the aircraft's release in the early hours of the accident. According to statements gathered during the investigation, he was informed about the failure in the deicing system, but did not carry out the necessary procedures to investigate the problem nor did he register restrictions that would prevent new flights. Above him was Juliano Flores Pacheco, manager of the Maintenance Control Center (MCC), also indicted by the PF. Witnesses reported pressure to avoid formal records of breakdowns and prevent aircraft from being taken out of operation. "This mechanic did not act there because there was this pressure on those who controlled him within the MCC", stated the delegate. Also indicted were Tiago Passucci Morani, chief inspector and engineering manager, and Carlos Alberto Costa, maintenance director. PF delegate explains why mechanics and inspector were indicted for accident For the PF, both were aware of chronic problems related to the defrosting system and did not adopt effective measures to correct them. "The inspector, on several occasions, was notified by Anac. He was responsible for maintenance. The maintenance director was also indicted who, faced with that scenario, did not take action if it was a known defrosting problem, already notified", explained the delegate. Flight dispatchers Another group appointed by the PF in the chain of responsibilities that ended with the crash of the Voepass flight is made up of operational flight dispatchers (DOVs), responsible for planning and authorizing routes. The investigation concluded that they permitted operations at altitudes where severe icing was predicted, precisely the condition that the model was not certified to handle. PF: dispatchers and commanders prior to the accident are indicted. Oderlino de Campos Figueiredo, John Major Viana and Marcos Hiroyuki Sato, who was responsible for dispatching flight 2283, were indicted. For the PF, the dispatchers stopped performing a function that should act as a safety barrier for the operation. The 'nerve center' of the operation Air control and directors are among those indicted for the Voepass plane crash, says PF The PF investigation also reached the structure of the Operational Control Center (CCO), the sector that coordinates the company's flights. According to delegate André Ribeiro, the CCO acted as the company's "nerve center" and was supposed to monitor operational risks in real time. "The CCO's inaction is intolerable. The CCO is where the dispatching takes place. The operational dispatcher is in