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Brazilian police formally accuse 16 over 2024 Voepass crash that killed 62

Federal police named 16 current and former airline employees, including Voepass owner and president José Luiz Felicio Filho; prosecutors have yet to decide whether charges will be filed.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 6, 2026, 7:21 p.m. ETUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 8:09 p.m. ET
's federal police on Thursday, August 6, 2026 formally accused 16 current and former employees of the airline over the August 9, 2024 crash of an near , in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, that killed people, according to reporting by ABC News, Al Jazeera, the Winnipeg Free Press, the Hindustan Times and the Times of India. All five outlets report passengers and crew died, with people on board. The case is still developing: local prosecutors must decide whether charges will be brought. The outlets report that police concluded deliberate omissions, improper maintenance practices and organizational failures directly contributed to sending the aircraft into dangerous weather. Police investigator André Ribeiro said the aircraft was irregularly cleared for departure into known severe icing conditions despite de-icing system failures on three prior flights the same day, according to the Hindustan Times, with the same finding reported by ABC News, Al Jazeera, the Winnipeg Free Press and the Times of India. Data recorders showed the de-icing system repeatedly failed or was manually cycled on and off during 136 flights, the outlets report. A Brazilian air force probe confirmed that severe icing, mechanical system failures and pilot distractions contributed, according to the same reporting. Accounts of the accusations differ in detail. ABC News, the Times of India, the Hindustan Times and the Winnipeg Free Press report that 16 people were formally accused, with 15 of them facing allegations of endangering air traffic safety resulting in a fatal disaster, an offence punishable by up to 12 years in prison, and additional allegations against some of omitting technical failures from aircraft logbooks. Al Jazeera reports the 16 were accused of actions contributing to the crash, describing alleged malpractice, omission and negligence. Among those formally accused is owner and president José Luiz Felicio Filho. Ribeiro also suggested prosecutors look into potential accusations against 's aviation agency ANAC, according to the Hindustan Times, Al Jazeera, the Winnipeg Free Press and the Times of India. Lawyer Thalles Andrade said he will seek damages against everyone responsible, including directors and ticket-sales companies. The aircraft was flying from Cascavel, in the southern state of Paraná, to Guarulhos international airport when it plummeted 13,000 feet into the backyard of a gated condominium, the outlets report. They describe it as 's deadliest air crash since 2007. The aircraft involved has not been identified in the available material. Registry records list three aircraft under — one ATR-72-500 and two ATR 72-600s, all registered in ; that is the operator's registered fleet and is not an identification of the aircraft in this accident. Geographic reference data places the town of about 10 miles east of Viracopos International Airport. The decision on whether charges will be filed rests with local prosecutors.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
2,379 ft
Nearest aerodrome
10 miles E of Viracopos International Airport (SBKP/VCP)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 38 Aug 2026, 00:09current

    Added Al Jazeera as a fifth cited source and noted its differing characterisation of the accusations against the 16.

  2. Version 28 Aug 2026, 00:03

    Added ABC News and Times of India as corroborating sources, dated the police action to Thursday, August 6, 2026, and added the lawyer's stated intention to seek damages.

  3. Version 17 Aug 2026, 13:30

    First published.

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