[4] The airship was originally intended to have an electric motor, but due to the time it would have taken to develop it and an obligation to return to Brazil to fulfill his parliamentary term, Severo was convinced to follow the example of Santos Dumont and adopt gasoline engines,[5] although he was hesitant about their usage even five days before the flight.

[6] The Pax was completed a fortnight before the accident, with experiments being conducted in an Earth-tethered manner and in a complicated weather situation on May 4 in Vaugirard park, with satisfactory results, which led the inventor to proceed with a crewed flight.

The wreckage fell in front of house n. 79, on Maine Avenue, with the nacelle where the aeronauts were located crashing through the ceiling and coming to a stop inside a couple's bedroom.

[11] Astronomer Albert Charbonneaux, from the Meudon observatory, investigated the wreckage and, among other things, pointed to a short circuit in the engine's electrical part as the cause of the disaster.

[11] Santos Dumont pointed out that a valve was closed with wax by the aeronaut and that, under flight conditions, the balloon was unable to withstand the internal pressure, and that the main error was that they dropped ballast when they noticed that the airship was rising, which allowed the aircraft to climb with more speed.

[9][14] In an article published in September of the same year, Santos Dumont pointed out that the engine was a mere three feet from the envelope, which made the aircraft accident-prone.

[17] Alfredo Maia [pt], former Minister of Transportation, telegraphed President Campos Salles, asking that Congress vote on Severo's funeral and grant a pension to his widow.

[18] Augusto Severo's body arrived in Rio de Janeiro on June 17, and was buried the next day, with the participation of President Campos Salles.