Who is the former Voepass pilot who became a key player in the investigation into the crash of flight 2283 Two tragedies, separated by more than two decades, marked the trajectory of Luiz Cláudio de Almeida. In 2003, he lost his brother in the VLS explosion, in Alcântara. In 2024, the crash of flight 2283 brought under investigation safety problems that the former Voepass pilot said he had warned about for years. His testimony was highlighted in the final report of the Federal Police (PF). Among the commanders interviewed, the PF highlighted Almeida's hearing and repeated his statements when analyzing the conduct of Raphael Limongi de Figueiredo and Rafael Gimenez Rodrigues, two of the 16 indicted for the crash that killed 62 people in Vinhedo (SP). Humberto Alencar, co-pilot of flight 2283 (left), and Luiz Cláudio de Almeida (right) Personal archive Four decades of aviation Almeida said that he started flying at the age of 16 and graduated as a pilot at 18. In a 44-year career, he worked for companies such as TAM, Trip and Azul. His experience with ATR aircraft led him, in 2019, to the then Passaredo, which later started using the Voepass brand. According to him, the initial invitation was to work as a commander and instructor. Almeida and other pilots experienced in the model underwent a month of training, but, in the end, they were informed that they would act as co-pilots. The PF report noted that, according to Almeida, colleagues attributed the change to management's fear that the group's technical rigor would cause them to “stop planes”, affecting the company's schedule. Almeida remained at Voepass until the end of operations in 2025. According to him, he stayed at the company because he was waiting for his special retirement as an aeronaut. Today, he is retired due to contribution time and is still trying to obtain special retirement recognition. Luiz Cláudio de Almeida and flight attendant Deborah Soper Ávila, who died on flight 2283 Personal file Alerts and retaliation During his years at Voepass, Almeida stated that he sent around 40 emails to the company's operational security sector, known as Safety. According to him, part of the alerts dealt with problems in the boots, components of the ATR aircraft de-icing system. "I made a report two months before the plane crash and went to a public hearing at Anac, in Brasília. I also reported several facts. I sent around 40 emails to Safety, the company's security department, and never got a response," he said. About two months before the accident, Almeida also participated in a public hearing at the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), in Brasília, alongside the National Union of Aeronauts. On that occasion, he made a complaint about work schedules. At the time, the former pilot reported tiredness, travel of up to two and a half hours to his place of work and calls from the company during his break. In September 2025, the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) concluded that the reduced rest time of the flight 2283 crew may have been one of the contributing factors to the tragedy. The commander stated that he also suffered retaliation because of the questions. According to him, he stopped doing longer stretches and was transferred “overnight” from Brasília (DF) to Porto Alegre (RS). "Many of the breakdowns were not passed because the plane had to comply with the route, it had to take off. There were planes with air conditioning problems, bald tires, problems that sometimes made it impossible to leave. But there was a rule in the company not to report breakdowns", added Almeida. In a note released after the conclusion of the investigation, Voepass stated that operational security has always been a priority and that it adopted the security, maintenance and training protocols provided for by Anac. The company also said it cooperated with the investigations. Anac informed that its internal affairs department would analyze the notes made by the PF regarding the inspection of Voepass. Read more below. Over the years, the former pilot gathered records of irregularities at Voepass Personal archive The tragedy that came before When g1 asked why he continued to report situations he considered unsafe, even in the face of supposed retaliation, Almeida went back to 2003. At the time, he was the commander of Fokker 100 model planes at TAM. The brother, José Eduardo de Almeida, 38 years old, cameraman, worked at the Alcântara Launch Center, in Maranhão. On August 22, the Satellite Launch Vehicle (VLS-1) exploded after one of the engines prematurely ignited. José Eduardo was one of the 21 victims. Almeida was in São Luís and expected to meet his brother the next day. Instead, he remained in Maranhão following the identification of the bodies. "I went to São Luís thinking I was going to have lunch the next day with my brother. Unfortunately, I spent a week at the IML following the identification of the bodies. Afterwards, my brother was buried in Campos do Jordão", he reported. The investigation into the tragedy concluded that there was an “untimely action” and highlighted, among the problems found, “latent failures” and degradation of working and safety conditions. For Almeida, the loss of his brother began to guide the way he faced risks in his own profession. "I always fought to know the truth about what happened in Alcântara. And that was my motivation. Because of what I went through, what I go through to this day, I wanted to know the truth in Passaredo as well. I have a clear conscience about the amount of reports I made." José Eduardo de Almeida, 38 years old, cameraman, died in the explosion of the Satellite Launch Vehicle (VLS) rocket, on August 22, 2003 Personal archive/Ed Ferreira/Estadão Content What Anac says After the conclusion of the investigation, the president of the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), Tiago Faierstein, told g1 that the body's internal affairs department will analyze the notes made by the Federal Police regarding the inspection of the Voepass. The PF did not indict agency employees, but concluded that Anac was aware of irregularities in the company and suggested