President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) lamented this Saturday (10) the death of the three military police officers after the crash of a corporation plane near the Vale do Aço Regional Airport, in Santana do Paraíso, this Friday (9).
Lieutenant Colonel Luiz Fernando Silvestre, Lieutenant Gabriela Emília Soares Lacerda Resende and Lieutenant Alice dos Santos Oliveira Almeida were on the aircraft.
"All three soldiers were pilots and performed missions such as transporting organs for transplants. Their work represented many lives saved and the relief of many families," said the president in a post on social media.
Lula also left his solidarity and "a hug" to the families of the victims, his colleagues in uniform from the Military Police of Minas Gerais and all his friends.
Mateus Simões and Cleitinho also spoke out.
"I receive with deep regret the passing of Lieutenant Colonel Silvestre and Lieutenants Emilia and Alice, valiant officers of our Military Police, with whom I had the personal privilege of working in the State Air Command. My solidarity with their families, friends and the corporation", he wrote.
The elected governor, Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicans), also spoke.
“May God comfort the hearts of all who suffer from this tragedy,” he published.
The accident
The plane took off from Pampulha Airport, in Belo Horizonte, towards Vale do Aço Regional Airport – the accident occurred close to the terminal, in Santana do Paraíso, at around 4pm.
The crew was carrying out a qualification check flight. This type of operation is part of the periodic procedures required in aeronautical activity to maintain certifications and evaluate pilots' operational conditions.
The aircraft was used on operational missions and also to transport organs for transplants.
"It is important to emphasize that it was a retrofitted aircraft, an aircraft that underwent all the necessary maintenance and equipment exchange. [...] We do not have any type of issue in relation to maintenance, which was up to date, retrofitting, which was up to date, and the pilots' qualifications, which were up to date", stated Colonel Flávio Santiago, director of organizational communication at the Military Police of Minas Gerais.
Who are the victims
According to the PM, Lieutenant Colonel Silvestre, who was piloting the aircraft at the time of the accident, had more than five thousand hours of flight time and was the corporation's most qualified instructor. 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.
"Our corporation is in mourning. We lost three indomitable wings, people who were doing extremely important work", lamented Colonel Santiago.
