Plane Crashes Near Sao Paulo, 61 Dead

A regional turboprop plane fell into what aviation experts called a flat spin before crashing in a residential neighborhood near Sao Paulo in Brazil, killing all 61 people on board.

Video from local media shows the wreckage among houses in a residential neighborhood.

Brazilian carrier Voepass, which operated the plane, said there were 57 passengers in total and four crew members on board. A local news outlet interviewed two men who said they missed their flight.

Flight tracking software showed the plane's path.

Regional carrier Voepass said the plane, bound for Sao Paulo's international airport, took off from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, and crashed at around 1:30 pm in the town of Vinhedo, some 80 km northwest of Sao Paulo.

Videos shared on social media showed the ATR-72 aircraft spinning out of control as it plunged down behind a cluster of trees near houses, followed by a large plume of black smoke.

It entered an unusual final circling motion before hitting the ground in the town of Vinhedo, some 50 miles northwest of Sao Paulo.

A Brazilian aviation engineer said that a buildup of ice could have caused the plane to stall and spiral in the way it did, but investigators say it's too early to determine the cause of the crash.

The airline says the plane underwent inspection a day before the crash, and its de-icing system, along with all other systems, had been deemed operational before takeoff.

Brazil's aviation accident investigation center said they've recovered the plane's so-called "black box" containing voice recordings and flight data.

The incident is Brazil's deadliest since 2007, when a plane crash killed 199 people.