This photo shows an aerial view of the wreckage of an airplane that crashed with 61 people on board in Vinhedo, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, on August 10, 2024. Photo by Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Brazil's aviation authority on Tuesday grounded domestic airline Voepass after a crash last year claimed 62 lives in the country's worst air disaster in nearly two decades.
The National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) said in a statement it had suspended operations until the company "can demonstrate that it can guarantee the level of safety required by current regulations."
Last August, videos showed the Voepass ATR 72-500 plane in a downward spin before it crashed into a residential area in the town of Vinhedo, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Brazil's financial capital Sao Paulo.
The twin-engine plane fell almost vertically, crashed on its belly and exploded in flames, killing the four crew and 58 passengers on board.
Voepass operates commercial flights between more than a dozen locations within Brazil, according to the Anac.
Almost a month after the accident, a preliminary report pointed to a failure in the plane's de-icing system, as ice on the wings can affect a plane's lift.
After an inspection last October, Anac ordered Voepass to fly fewer flights to allow more ground time for aircraft maintenance, and to correct "irregularities."
Last month, a new review found a "degradation" in Voepass management and a "systematic non-compliance with the requirements established by the Agency."
It also found a "recurrence" of some irregularities, the nature of which it did not make public.
Voepass insisted in a statement Tuesday that its flights were safe, and said the Anac decision will have "an immeasurable impact on thousands of Brazilians who use regional aviation daily."
