Small plane crash in northern Brazil kills 4

Small plane crash in northern Brazil kills 4

2012-02-18 15:37:25 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAMETA, BRAZIL (BNO NEWS) -- Four people were killed on Thursday when a small plane crashed in northern Brazil, officials said on Friday. There were no survivors.

The accident happened at around 8:30 a.m. local time when the twin-engine Beechcraft Baron aircraft, operated by Norte Jet Táxi Aéreo, caught fire and crashed in the city of Cameta, located in the state of Pará in the country's northern region. All four people on board were killed.

Among those killed was a pilot, identified only as Eduardo, as well as the co-pilot and two security guards. The aircraft, which was contracted to transport valuables for security company Prosegur, was heading to the city of Belém when it suddenly experienced a malfunction and caught fire in mid-air. It soon crashed about 300 meters (984 feet) from the runway.

Prosegur expressed regret following the accident and assured it is providing the necessary assistance to the families of its employees involved in the accident. The Norte Jet company, meanwhile, said it has deployed personnel to the scene of the accident to assist in the investigation.

Thursday's accident is the second twin-engine aircraft accident in Pará in less than two weeks. On February 8, an F90 King Air aircraft crashed in Baía do Guajara, near the Belém Air Base, as it was preparing to land. The pilot and four passengers survived without suffering from serious injuries.

In October 2011, four people were killed when a Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft crashed into a farm in Maraba Paulista, a municipality in the southern state of Sao Paulo. Police said the aircraft exploded upon impact but caused no casualties on the ground.

In July 2007, nearly 200 people were killed when TAM Airlines Flight 3054 crashed upon landing in Sao Paulo. It remains the deadliest ever aviation accident in Latin America history.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-02-18