What happened
On August 18, 2012, at approximately 1140 UTC, two Embraer EMB-711C (Piper PA-28R-200) aircraft were involved in a midair collision near Fazenda Bonanza Airport (SDBN) in Santa Barbara D'Oeste, Brazil. Both aircraft had departed from SDAM at roughly 1120 UTC.
The first aircraft, registration PT-NKA, was operated by a private owner and was carrying an airline transport pilot and one passenger. The second aircraft, registration PT-NIR, was also operated by a private owner and was carrying an airline and one passenger.
Witnesses on the ground reported seeing both airplanes approaching one another just before the collision occurred. Following the impact, both aircraft crashed into a sugar cane field. The collision and subsequent post-crash fire caused substantial damage to both planes. The accident resulted in 4 fatal injuries, as both pilots and both passengers were killed.
At the time of the accident, weather conditions were within visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with a visibility of 10 statute miles and winds from 060 degrees at 10 knots. No flight plans had been filed for either aircraft.