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Trio Parada Dura had its trajectory transformed by a plane crash in 1982, in Espírito Santo do Pinhal, an accident that left Barrerito paraplegic, changed the image of the classic formation on stage, and anticipated the separation that would redefine one of the biggest names in sertanejo music
The **Trio Parada Dura** experienced one of the most dramatic episodes in the history of sertanejo music on **September 6, 1982**. At the height of their success, **Creone, Barrerito, and Mangabinha** were traveling by plane from **São Paulo** to **Cruzília, in Minas Gerais**, when the aircraft crashed in **Espírito Santo do Pinhal**, in the interior of São Paulo. **Everyone survived**, but the accident left deep marks on the group, especially on **Barrerito**, who became **paraplegic** after a severe spinal injury.
The case is noteworthy because it was not just a personal trauma experienced by popular artists. The crash altered the trio’s internal dynamics, created a **symbolic image of the classic formation on stage**, and became a turning point in the trajectory of **Trio Parada Dura**. **Five years after the accident**, Barrerito would leave the group to pursue a solo career, making way for the definitive entry of **Parrerito** and forever changing the history of one of the most emblematic sertanejo formations of the 1980s.
What happened on the flight that changed the history of Trio Parada Dura
On that day, the trio departed from São Paulo heading towards Cruzília, in Minas Gerais. The intense schedule of shows, common at the height of their success, meant the group frequently resorted to air travel. The flight departed from **Campo de Marte**, in São Paulo, under **heavy rain**, made a stop in **Campinas** for refueling, and continued its journey amidst bad weather.
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According to Creone’s account, the situation became complicated because **the pilot got lost during the journey**. Upon spotting a runway in Espírito Santo do Pinhal, he attempted to land to get his bearings, but **the runway’s size and the wind made the maneuver difficult**. When he realized he couldn’t complete the landing and also couldn’t safely go around, the pilot decided to descend anywhere possible. **The forced landing ended in a crash**.
The premonition that remained etched in the group’s memory
Before the flight, a phrase spoken by radio host **Zé Béttio** ended up becoming an impressive detail in the memory of the episode. According to Creone, the communicator joked with the pilot, saying: **“Be careful, huh? You’re going to kill my trio.”**
After the tragedy, the phrase began to sound like **a premonition** for those who recall that day. This detail reinforces the symbolic weight of the accident, which is still treated today as one of the most significant moments in the trajectory of **Trio Parada Dura**.
The injuries and the moment Barrerito realized the severity
All occupants of the aircraft suffered injuries. **Creone broke three ribs**. But the most serious situation was Barrerito’s, whose **spinal injury** completely changed his life and career.
Creone recalls that, upon trying to get his companion out of the aircraft, he heard a phrase from him that showed the severity of his condition: **“I don’t feel anything in my legs.”** He and the others returned to try to remove him from the plane, but the operation was difficult and painful. According to the singer, **Barrerito screamed in pain**, and the very act of removing him through the small aircraft door may have further aggravated his suffering at that moment.
How the accident changed Trio Parada Dura’s image on stage
Even after the trauma, **Barrerito returned to the stage** and remained with **Trio Parada Dura until 1987**. His presence in a **wheelchair** at the center of the classic formation created an image considered unusual and powerful within sertanejo music.
According to journalist and researcher André Piunti, the scene of **two members standing and Barrerito singing in the middle in a wheelchair** became something symbolic. This configuration came to represent not only the overcoming of a trauma but also one of the richest and most important stories in sertanejo music, associated with a repertoire that continued to be re-recorded by new generations.
Why the separation happened five years later
Although Barrerito returned to the group, **the impact of the accident remained present** in his life. According to Creone, the singer said that he **would no longer travel with the trio** because he **would not be able to travel by plane again** and also did not want to prevent the others from continuing to work.
That’s how, in **1987**, Barrerito chose to pursue a **solo career**. His departure marked the end of the most remembered classic lineup of **Trio Parada Dura** and consolidated a new phase for the group. The 1982 accident, therefore, **was not just an isolated episode**, but an event that helped explain the subsequent separation.
Parrerito’s entry and the definitive change in the lineup
With Barrerito’s departure, the spot was definitively filled by **Parrerito**, the singer’s brother. He had already temporarily taken his brother’s place **during the recovery period** after the accident.
This substitution reorganized the group’s identity and opened a new chapter in the history of **Trio Parada Dura**. Even while maintaining its strong name and presence in sertanejo music, the change concluded a cycle that had become legendary precisely for bringing together **Creone, Barrerito, and Mangabinha** in a lineup that went through **success, tragedy, and transformation**.
The numbers and dates that help understand the weight of this story
The timeline helps show the extent of the impact. The accident happened in **1982**. Barrerito remained in the trio until **1987**, that is, for **five years** after the crash. After that, he pursued a solo career and released **eight albums**.
Other milestones reinforce the human dimension of this trajectory. **Barrerito died in 1998**, at **56 years old**, after a **heart attack**. **Parrerito died on September 13, 2020**, at **67 years old**, due to complications from **Covid-19**. These data show how the group’s history was marked by **losses, changes, and new beginnings**.
The reflection of the accident in Barrerito’s solo career
Even after leaving the trio, Barrerito remained connected to music and transformed part of his own experience into song. One of the clearest examples of this appears in **“Cadeira Amiga”**, a song in which the wheelchair emerges as a central and painful presence in his life.
In the lyrics, Barrerito calls the wheelchair **“a gift I wouldn’t wish on anyone”**, but also makes clear his refusal to surrender to defeat. The verse **“This hurt singer will still sing standing up”** summarizes the spirit of resistance that marked his trajectory after the accident.
Why this plane crash remains so important for the memory of sertanejo music
The story remains alive because it brings together rare elements in a single episode: **artistic peak, plane crash, survival, physical transformation, permanence on stage, and the breakup of a historic lineup**. Few chapters of sertanejo music concentrate as much dramatic and symbolic weight as this one experienced by **Trio Parada Dura**.
More than an accident, the episode became **a turning point**. It helps explain the strength of the trio’s image in the 1980s, the emotional weight of Barrerito’s trajectory, and the definitive change in the lineup of a group that became a reference not only in music but also in the Brazilian popular imagination.
In your opinion, was the 1982 plane crash the most decisive moment in the history of Trio Parada Dura, or would the group have changed course anyway?
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