Voepass owner faces charges as prosecutors and company clash over crash responsibility

Voepass owner faces charges as prosecutors and company clash over crash responsibility
Brazilian federal prosecutors have charged 12 people, including Voepass owner José Luiz Felício Filho, over the August 2024 crash of Flight 2283 in Vinhedo, São Paulo, which killed all 62 people aboard. The complaint, filed in the 9th Federal Court in Campinas, alleges an offense against air-transport safety and still requires judicial acceptance before a criminal case formally begins.

Prosecutors’ account places the accident in a broader management and maintenance context rather than treating it as a single technical breakdown. They argue that the crash was “the culmination of a continued process of deliberate omissions” in preventive maintenance and safety management, alleging that technical rules were disregarded in an effort to avoid costs that could affect the company’s finances.

The technical investigation cited in the complaint adds a more immediate account of the flight’s final moments. Brazil’s aviation accident investigation body, Cenipa, found the aircraft encountered severe icing, lost lift and entered a spin. Its report said the crew did not activate the pneumatic de-icing system after entering forecast icing conditions, while also identifying multiple shortcomings in maintenance procedures, component traceability and fault records.

The prosecution narrowed the case from the 16 people previously indicted by federal police to 12. Two pilots and two air-traffic controllers were excluded after prosecutors offered them non-prosecution agreements.

Voepass, by contrast, said it would continue supplying requested documents and information as the case proceeds, maintaining that operational safety has been a core principle throughout its more than three decades in aviation. Felício’s defense said he was serving on the company’s board and was removed from day-to-day management when the crash occurred; it said he resumed executive management only afterward. The defense added that he has cooperated with authorities and will exercise his rights to adversarial proceedings, a full defense and due process.

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