An airplane carrying players and the president of Campeonato Brasileiro Série D club Palmas has crashed, with six individuals dying as a result. The tragic event took place on Sunday morning as the fourth-tier club were travelling to Goiania to take on Vila Nova in a last 16 Copa Verde clash on Monday.
According to Brazilian publication GloboEsporte, the small plane was involved in a runway crash moments after it took off from a private airstrip at the Tocantinense Aviation Association. There were no survivors.
The pilot, identified as Wagner Machado, as well as 32 year old Palmas president Lucas Meira, 27-year-old goalkeeper Ranule, 23-year-old left-back Lucas Praxedes, 28-year-old defender Guilherme Noe and 23-year-old midfielder Marcus Molinari, were the persons aboard the plane as the accident happened. Images of the wreckage have since surfaced on social media while the Brazilian FA has also issued a statement confirming the incident and the postponement of the club's clash with Vila Nova.
A família Palmas FR está de luto pela perda inestimável do presidente Lucas Meira, dos atletas Guilherme Noé, Lucas Praxedes , Marcus Molinares Reis, Ranule Gomes e do comandante Wagner. Agradecemos as manifestações de apoio e carinho nesse momento de dor. pic.twitter.com/Lnakg8OC41
— Palmas Futebol (@PalmasFutebol) January 24, 2021
Sunday's airplane crash that has claimed the lives of Palmas employees and the pilot is the latest to have happened involving a Brazilian club. Back in November 2016, LaMia Flight 2933 carrying the squad of Brazilian club Chapecoense from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, crashed near Medellín, Colombia, where the team was scheduled to play at the 2016 Copa Sudamericana Finals. 71 of the 77 people on board the plan were all killed.
