'I was happy as hell': pilot killed in plane crash in BH was planning a trip to Disney with his fiancée, says brother

Pilot Daniel da Silva de Souza Salomão, 31 years old, who died in a plane crash in Belo Horizonte this Friday (9), was about to fulfill his dream of visiting Disney with his fiancée. According to his brother, accountant Juscelino Salomão, the trip to the United States had been planned since last year and had already been paid for.

"It was his dream to visit Disney. He was happy," said Juscelino.

Daniel was the only occupant of the single-engine plane that had taken off from Pampulha Airport and crashed into the BH Metro maintenance yard, close to São Gabriel Station, in the Northeast region of the capital. According to the Fire Department, he was burned to death.

In addition to the tour, Daniel had recently bought a house and was making wedding plans.

Juscelino said he last saw his brother in July, in Bahia, during an aunt's birthday. At the time, the pilot was excited about his plans for the future.

“I was all excited about the house,” he recalled.

Dream of flying bigger planes

According to Juscelino, Daniel started driving when he was 20 years old. Previously, he studied aeronautical engineering, but left college and went to São Paulo to train as a pilot.

The brother said that Daniel studied English because he wanted to work on international flights.

“Daniel’s dream was to be an international pilot,” he said.

For Juscelino, care for aircraft was one of his brother's characteristics.

“He was a responsible person, a person who was always zealous, always careful,” he stated.

Brother saw the news before knowing who the victim was

Juscelino was in a clinic, waiting for an appointment, when he saw the news on television about the plane crash. At that moment, he didn't imagine that Daniel was on board.

A few minutes later, he received a call from his younger sister, who was crying as she told him what had happened.

"When the report came out, it took about three minutes. My younger sister called me crying, desperate, saying that his plane had crashed."

According to Juscelino, Daniel had spoken to his father on the morning of the accident, before taking off. The two were close, and the pilot used to visit him when he flew to Salvador or cities in the region.

Juscelino, who was in Macapá, said he would go to Bahia to accompany his father. A sister would go to Belo Horizonte to take care of the procedures related to the release of the body.

“I am serene here with you, but inside I am destroyed”, he lamented.

Causes of the fall are investigated

According to his brother, the owner of the aircraft informed the family that the single-engine aircraft had undergone an overhaul in Belo Horizonte and that Daniel was carrying out a test flight. The causes of the accident are still to be determined.

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) reported that investigators from the Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa) were called. The Civil Police are also investigating the case and sent the body to the Legal Medical Institute (IML) in the capital.

The plane would land in Juatuba, in Greater BH, and return to Pampulha Airport. During the fall, he hit a warehouse structure and the electrical wiring of the subway maintenance yard.

There were no employees injured, and train circulation was maintained.

According to the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), the aircraft was in good standing, with an inspection certificate valid until October 2027.

The single-engine vehicle belonged to the Bahian company Bello Fruit Importação e Exportação. In a statement, the company lamented Daniel's death, stated that it provides assistance to the family and said that it will cooperate with the investigations.