Child rape accused kills daughter in plane crash

A man accused of child rape kidnapped his daughter and stole a light aircraft before crashing killing himself and his five-year-old.

After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Kleber Barbosa da Silva argued with his wife and threw her from a moving car yesterday near the Brazilian central state capital of Goiania, then fled with their daughter, said police.

As his wife was taken to hospital in a critical condition Silva drove to a small airfield and said he wanted to take an aerial tour with his daughter.

Once inside the single-engine plane he brandished a pistol and forced the pilot out, then took off.

Authorities made brief contact with Silva after he was airborne.

“He wanted to cause a bigger tragedy, to cause casualties at the mall, too,” a police spokesman said.

Two Brazilian air force planes and a military police helicopter pursued Silva but did not intercept him.

The plane flew fast and low over Goiania airport, nearby suburbs and a hospital before crashing into the car park of the Flamboyant Shopping Mall, instantly killing Silva and his daughter.

Investigators did not know if the plane ran out of fuel or if Silva deliberately crashed.