A small aircraft crashed on a busy avenue in São Paulo on Friday morning shortly after taking off from a nearby private airport, killing the pilot and the plane's owner, authorities confirmed. The two victims were the only people on board. The crash occurred in the Barra Funda neighborhood on the west side of the city, near downtown. Debris from the aircraft struck a bus, injuring a woman inside, while another piece hit a motorcyclist. Both were taken for medical treatment. Later reports confirmed that four additional people sustained minor injuries and were transported to local hospitals. São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas identified the victims as pilot Gustavo Medeiros and aircraft owner Márcio Carpena. CCTV footage obtained by TV Globo captured the moment of impact, showing the plane slamming into the avenue just beyond an intersection where several cars were stopped. Images from the scene showed the wreckage engulfed in flames along with the bus, as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire. The crash site is located near several office buildings and a key transit hub that includes bus, train, and subway stations. The cause of the crash remains unknown. The aircraft had taken off from a private airport less than three miles (five kilometers) away and was en route to Porto Alegre in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. The Brazilian Air Force has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Brazil has seen several fatal small aircraft crashes in recent years. One of the deadliest incidents occurred last August in Vinhedo, near São Paulo, where a passenger plane went into a flat spin and crashed into a residential backyard, killing all 72 people on board. — Agencies
