PM colonel cries when reporting death of colleagues in plane crash in MG: 'most difficult meeting of my life'

Colonel Flávio Santiago, director of Organizational Communication at the PM, became emotional during a press conference, held this Friday (9) in Belo Horizonte, about the plane crash that killed three members of the corporation.

“It may be the most difficult press conference of my life,” said the colonel.

According to the military, Lieutenant Colonel Luis Silvestre was "the most qualified instructor in the corporation". In addition to him, Lieutenant Alice dos Santos Almeida and Lieutenant Gabriela Emília Soares Resende were also on board.

"The qualifications, experience, everything was in good condition, especially because the Military Police is very strict with these issues of retrofitting all equipment", he added.

The crew was carrying out a recheck flight in the Pegasus 17 aircraft, a twin-engine Beechcraft Super King Air 300 model, registration number PP-EJO.

According to Colonel Flávio Santiago, Lieutenant Colonel Silvestre, who was piloting the aircraft at the time of the accident, had more than five thousand hours of flight time. The soldier commanded the State Aviation Command (Comave) aircraft squadron and had been in the police for more than two decades. Born in Belo Horizonte, he was 49 years old and left behind his wife and three children.

Also from BH, Lieutenant Gabriela Emília accumulated, on average, 300 hours of flight time. She was the first woman at PMMG qualified to fly fixed-wing aircraft, in 2023.

Emília joined the corporation in 2017 and was declared an officer in 2019. She served as a sector commander in the 34th Battalion and in the Mobile Tactical Command, in the 41st Battalion, in Belo Horizonte, before becoming a pilot in Comave. The police officer had recently returned from maternity leave. At 35, she left behind her husband and two young children.

Lieutenant Alice Almeida was born in Caratinga, in the Rio Doce Region, and was 34 years old. She was a pilot and worked in the maintenance of PM aircraft. According to the corporation, she also accumulated around 300 hours of flight time.