Aircraft crashed near Vale do Aço Regional Airport, in Santana do Paraíso. Among the dead are a lieutenant colonel and two military police lieutenants.
By Caroline Del Piero, Cris Rodrigues, g1 Vales de MG
A Minas Gerais Military Police plane crashed this Friday (9) in Santana do Paraíso, leaving 3 soldiers dead. The accident occurred near a regional airport.
The victims were Lieutenant Colonel Luis Fernando Silvestre, Lieutenant Alice dos Santos Almeida and Lieutenant Gabriela Emília Soares Resende. They were part of the Aviation Command.
The twin-engine Pegasus 17 was carrying out a pilot qualification check flight. The PM reported that the plane's documentation and maintenance were up to date.
The causes of the accident are still unknown. The investigation will be carried out by Cenipa, with support from the Civil Police.
A video shows the place where the Minas Gerais Military Police plane crashed, leaving three soldiers dead on Friday afternoon (9), near Vale do Aço Regional Airport, in Santana do Paraíso (see above).
The images show part of the aircraft's wreckage in the middle of an area of dense vegetation. It is possible to see the fuselage partially destroyed and still with fires, while smoke comes out of the structure. Around the wreckage, firefighters and security agents move along a slope of dirt and mud to access the accident site and act on the incident.
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Three soldiers died
Lieutenant Colonel Luis Fernando Silvestre, Lieutenant Alice dos Santos Almeida and Lieutenant Gabriela Emília Soares Resende are the victims of the accident with the PMMG plane in Vale do Aço — Photo: Reproduction/Social networks
The victims were identified as Lieutenant Colonel Luis Fernando Silvestre, Lieutenant Alice dos Santos Almeida and Lieutenant Gabriela Emília Soares Resende. The three were part of the State Aviation Command (ComAvE) of the Military Police of Minas Gerais.
The aircraft involved in the accident was the Pegasus 17, a twin-engine Beechcraft Super King Air 300 model, registration number PP-EJO. According to the Military Police, the plane had taken off from Pampulha Airport, in Belo Horizonte, and arrived at Vale do Aço Regional Airport shortly before the crash.
The Fire Department reported that it was called to respond to the incident on BR-458, at km 43, in Santana do Paraíso, and sent teams to the location.
Accident will be investigated
During a press conference, the Military Police reported that the crew was carrying out a qualification check flight, a periodic procedure carried out to evaluate and maintain the operational conditions of the pilots.
The corporation also reported that the aircraft was used in police missions and to transport organs for transplants. According to the PM, the plane had regular documentation and maintenance was up to date.
The causes of the accident are still unknown. The investigation will be carried out by the Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Cenipa), the body responsible for investigating aeronautical accidents in the country. Experts from the Civil Police and Air Force teams are also involved in the incident.
PM plane crashes and leaves people dead in Vale do Aço, in MG — Photo: Arte/g1
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