THIS is the shocking moment a small plane smashed into an apartment building in a busy Brazilian city after the pilot reportedly warned air traffic controllers he was struggling to take off.
The aircraft was seen circling low over the Silveira area of Belo Horizonte, in south-east Brazil, before slamming into a residential building in a terrifying crash that left the pilot and co-pilot dead.
Three other people were seriously injured, according to local fire officials.
Miraculously, nobody inside the building was killed.
Emergency crews raced to the scene minutes after the aircraft crashed into the low-rise block at around 12.25 pm local time.
The plane had taken off from Pampulha Airport at 12.16pm with five people on board.
According to reports from Globo, the pilot had contacted the airport control tower shortly after takeoff to report difficulties with the aircraft.
Witnesses watched in horror as the plane circled overhead before crashing into the building in a densely populated neighbourhood.
Lieutenant Raul, from the Fire Department, said the aircraft smashed into the structure between the third and fourth floors.
“He hit between the third and fourth floors, in the stairwell,” he said.
“If it had hit the sides, it could have struck some residences, those apartments were occupied.
“What we saw was the structure of the aircraft projected inside the stairwell, without hitting any other apartments.”
Dramatic images from the aftermath showed debris scattered across the building as rescue teams searched the wreckage.
The pilot reportedly became trapped inside the twisted remains of the aircraft after impact.
Residents described scenes of chaos and panic as smoke, debris, and the smell of fuel filled the building.
Avani Soares, who lives in the apartment block, said she initially believed “the world had ended”.
“Everything went dark, a lot of debris fell, and I thought, ‘The world has ended,’” she told Globo.
“On the other floor, there were people screaming for help. I didn’t know what to do.”
She added, “Then I ran to the window because it had gone completely dark.
“Then I saw it and said, ‘It can’t be, a plane.’ There was a strong smell of fuel.
“I just grabbed my phone and glasses and went downstairs. I didn’t grab anything else.”
According to Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency, the aircraft was an EMB-721C model manufactured in 1979.
Records identify the owner as Flavio Loureiro Salgueiro.
Investigators from Brazil’s Centre for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents, known as CENIPA, have launched an investigation into the deadly crash, the Brazilian Air Force confirmed.
