What happened
On January 3, 2013, a Robinson R66 helicopter, registration PR-DUB, was performing a private flight from Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf Aerodrome (SBSJ) in São José dos Campos to the Maroum Helipad (SJDO) in Ilhabela, Brazil. During the flight, the aircraft disappeared while traversing the Serra do Mar region.
The wreckage was located on January 15, 2013, in a dense, steep forest area near Caraguatatuba. The impact with the high-altitude vegetation was of such high energy that the aircraft was destroyed, with the engine, transmission, and rotor blades separating from the fuselage. The pilot and passenger both sustained fatal injuries.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation focused on the meteorological conditions and the flight's compliance with visual flight rules (VFR). While weather information was available at the time of takeoff, the investigation noted that the top of the Serra do Mar was covered by clouds. METAR reports from the nearby Santos Air Base indicated low ceilings and drizzle in the area.
The investigation established that the R66 was not certified for flight under instrument flight rules (IFR). The pilot held a valid private helicopter license and R66 rating but lacked an IFR rating. The investigation also noted that the aircraft's logbook entries were outdated, making it impossible to determine the exact total flight hours at the time of the accident.
Findings
- Adverse meteorological conditions: The aircraft encountered unintentional instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) at the crash site, which led to the loss of visual references.
- Spatial disorientation: It is possible the pilot experienced spatial disorientation due to the loss of visual ground references.
- Flight planning: The investigation suggested that the meteorological conditions along the route may not have been adequately considered during flight preparation.
Safety action
CENIPA issued a recommendation to Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to disseminate lessons from this accident to flight training centers. The goal is to emphasize the importance of assessing route meteorology to ensure it is compatible with both the pilot's qualifications and the aircraft's certification limitations.