Brazil plane crashed minute after pilots sensed trouble, black box indicates: report

SAO PAULO: Authorities investigating the Brazilian plane crash that killed all 62 on board last week now have the full transcript of the "black box" but its contents did not immediately explain the cause of the accident, local TV station Globo said on Wednesday.

The transcript from the cockpit voice recorder indicates the pilot and copilot noticed a steep loss of altitude about one minute before the crash, TV Globo reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed people working on the investigation.

TV Globo did not release the audio or the transcript.

The transcript covers about two hours of audio recording, TV Globo said, including the copilot asking the pilot what was going on, and saying the plane needed "more power" to be stabilised.

Brazil's aviation accident investigation center, Cenipa, said in a statement late on Wednesday that it "guarantees" no publication had access to the voice recorder's audio, transcript or data. It did not comment on the content of TV Globo's report.

The plane, an ATR-72 turboprop from local airline Voepass, was bound for Sao Paulo from Cascavel, in the southern state of Parana, and crashed at around 1:30pm (1630GMT) in the town of Vinhedo, some 80km (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.

The crash killed all on board but no one on the ground was hurt.

Video shared on social media after the accident showed the ATR-72 aircraft spinning out of control as it plunged down behind a cluster of trees near houses, sending a large plume of black smoke into the air.

The pilots did not report an emergency or adverse weather conditions, the Brazilian air force said on Friday.

TV Globo said that, according to people investigating the crash, analysis of the audio alone was unlikely to help determine the cause of the crash.

The authorities did not identify any characteristic sounds, such as from fire, electrical collapse or engine breakdowns, TV Globo said, although the audio was said to be difficult to listen to because of the noise of engines near the cabin.

A potential icing issue on the plane's wing was not discounted or confirmed by authorities as contributing to the crash, TV Globo said.

Videos of the crash analysed by aviation experts led some to speculate that ice had built up on the plane.