Naman Shrestha
In the harrowing tragedy of the Flight 3054 crash in São Paulo, a total of 199 people lost their lives. It naturally had a devastating impact on hundreds of loved ones who banded together in grief to ask questions to the authorities. Out of them, Carmen Caballero was someone who had lost not one family member but three — her mother, Maria Elizabete, and two daughters, Júlia Elisabete and Maria Isabel. Netflix’s three-part documentary series, ‘A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054,’ delves deep into the accident and its aftermath through exclusive interviews with the families of the victims, including Carmen Caballero.
Carmen Caballero Lost Three Loving Family Members in the Flight 3054 Crash
Daughter of 65-year-old Maria Elizabete Silva Caballero, Carmen Elisabete Caballero was a mother to three adorable daughters — 14-year-old Júlia Elisabete, 10-year-old Maria Isabel Caballero Gomes, and Lilian. On July 17, 2007, Carmen’s mother as well as Júlia and Maria, were returning to São Paulo, Brazil, after visiting the girls’ great-grandmother’s place in São Leopoldo. Before boarding the ill-fated flight, Carmen talked to her daughters over the phone, unaware that it was the last time she would hear their voices. Upon landing, their flight slid on the wet runway of the São Paulo airport and crashed into the TAM Express building by the Washington Luís Avenue, following which the aircraft and parts of the building caught fire.
The accident resulted in the loss of 199 individuals, including Carmen’s mother and two daughters. She was devastated when she found out about the same, and her entire world turned upside down. While struggling to process the loss, she came across a book titled ‘O Voo da Esperança’ written by Woyne Figner Sacchetin, who allegedly offended the dignity of Carmen and other victims. When a lawsuit was filed against it, she received R$54,500 in compensation for moral damages. After winning the lawsuit, she told Diário, “I am happy with the decision, because my goal was to ensure that the memory of my family members was respected and in that sense, justice was served.”
Carmen Caballero Reeled From the Loss of Her Mother and Daughters For Years
Four years after bidding her final farewell to her mother and two daughters, Carmen Caballero also lost her father, Alejandro Caballero, on August 10, 2011. Due to the series of losses she endured over a short period of time, grief took over her life. She told Diario, “Even though I knew I had to be a role model for my daughter Lilian and for those who had passed away, I lost the sense of living positively for a while.” In order to start afresh, she relocated to a farm with her husband, Luiz Carlos Pereira, and daughter, Lilian, for about three years. As she regained stability in her life and felt emotionally ready to start working again, she got back to teaching around 2013.
Around the mid-2010s, Carmen and her surviving family moved into her parents’ apartment. After the 2007 tragedy, she has celebrated the lives of her late mother and daughters each year on the day of the accident. “We thank God for the gift they were to us,” she said. At the same time, the date has served as a reminder of their grief and pain. She opened up, “It’s the day of my mutilation. I don’t expose myself, but it’s a pain that only with God can I get up and stay on my feet to continue being an example for my daughters.” Ten years after the fateful day, Carmen admitted that she continued to miss them every single day.
Carmen elaborated, “I catch myself dreaming about what it would be like today with them here. If I would be a grandmother by now, what college they would have attended, what my house would be like with my three daughters.” Carmen’s surviving daughter, Lilian, knew her grandmother and sisters through the stories her mother had told her over the years. She also opened up about it, saying, “The time I spent with them wasn’t enough. I know about them from the stories my mother tells. I miss them, I miss them so much.” Carmen and her family have continued residing in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil, keeping the spirits of their lost ones alive in their hearts and hoping to move forward with love and healing.
Read More: Paulo Zani and Wanderlei Silva: Where Are Flight 3054 Crash Survivors Now?
