The disaster, which left millions of fans in mourning for Brazil, is yet to be investigated — as happens in aviation tragedies like this one.
The plane was a Beechcraft King Air C90a, a twin-engine widely used in executive aviation around the world, from the air taxi company PEC.
The aircraft manufactured in 1984 had a capacity for 6 passengers and was in a normal airworthiness situation, that is, it was within the parameters for this type of transport, and authorized for executive aviation.
The plane left Santa Genoveva airport, in Goiânia, early this Friday afternoon, heading for Ubaporanga airport, in Minas Gerais. From there, Marilia Mendonça would follow overland to the neighboring city of Caratinga (MG), where she would perform tonight. The presentation was scheduled for the city's Exhibition Park, located on BR 116.
The aircraft, however, crashed 2 km from the runway, around 4:30 pm. The site of the fall is a waterfall in rural Caratinga, close to inns and farms, on a slope below BR-474.
Moments before boarding, still in Goiânia, Marília Mendonça posted a short video on social media:
Marília Mendonça makes a post getting on a plane
The aircraft had five occupants. All died. So far, the identities of three of the four victims have been released:
Marília Mendonça, singer
Henrique Ribeiro, producer
Abicieli Silveira Dias Filho, uncle and advisor
Geraldo Martins de Medeiros Júnior, pilot
Tarciso Pessoa Viana, co-pilot
The rescue of the bodies ended early this Friday night.
The last two victims are removed from Marília Mendonça's plane wreckage
There is no information so far on what caused the accident. The Air Force informed that it will find out what caused the aircraft, considered safe and operating regularly, to crash. Investigators are at the scene of the disaster.
In addition to the Air Force, the Civil Police of Minas Gerais said it sent criminal forensics teams, investigators and delegates to the scene.
To confirm and verify factors that may have contributed to the accident, the Brazilian Air Force will:
an expertise in plane wreckage
hear witnesses from the airstrips where the plane took off and the destination
retrieve documents, data from technical inspections, aircraft maintenance
see the quality of the fuel used in the operation.
Cenipa to investigate the plane crash that killed Marília Mendonça
Shock with high voltage wire
Cemig, an energy company from Minas Gerais, confirmed that the twin-engine plane carrying the singer Marília Mendonça hit a cable in a company's distribution tower, in Caratinga.
This information had been reported by pilots who flew over the region close to the time of the accident and also by witnesses. They said the plane had ripped high-voltage wires connected to a tower near the site.
Air agencies in the region had already received reports from other pilots before the accident, in September and August, that the electrical wires would hinder the landing at the Caratinga aerodrome. These are reports called Notam (Aeronautical Notification) and that indicate data on risks and alert other pilots heading to the region about dangers to operate in the area.
People saw Marília Mendonça's plane hit a transmission tower, says MG PM captain
A witness told authorities that, after colliding with the wires, the plane had lost an engine. The aircraft had two engines but, according to this witness, who is also a pilot, the aircraft would have lost lift due to the collision (stuck).
Without expertise, however, there is no way to say that a collision with wires would have caused the plane to crash.
The wake of Marília Mendonça and her uncle is scheduled to start at 1 pm at the Ginásio Goiânia Arena, in Goiânia, and the funeral at 5:30 pm. 100,000 people are expected, as estimated by Governor Ronaldo Caiado (DEM). The Municipal Department of Mobility informed that there will be a procession from the gym to the Memorial Park Cemetery, where she will be buried.
Until the last update of this article, there was no information on the times and locations of the wakes and burials of the other victims of the accident.