What happened
On February 9, 2022, an AT-502B agricultural aircraft, registration PR-TAR, was performing a crop-dusting mission at Fazenda Santa Clara in Santa Juliana, Minas Gerais. During the sixth takeoff of the day, the aircraft failed to gain sufficient altitude to clear vegetation located past the departure end of the airstrip. The aircraft struck the sugarcane plantation with its main landing gear and spray bar, subsequently dragging along the ground for approximately 100 meters before flipping over and rotating 180 degrees. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to its structure, including the landing gear, propeller, stabilizers, and control surfaces. The pilot escaped without injury.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation focused on the takeoff performance and the operational environment. Investigators found that while the previous five sorties that day had been uneventful, environmental conditions had changed for the final takeoff. The external temperature had risen to 29°C, and the wind was no longer an upwind component. Calculations performed by the committee revealed that the required runway length for the aircraft's weight of 3,927 kg under these specific conditions was 1,302 meters, which exceeded the available 1,100-meter airstrip by 202 meters. Furthermore, the pilot did not follow the manufacturer's prescribed takeoff configuration for heavy weights, which requires 20° flaps and the use of brakes to hold the aircraft while applying full power at the threshold.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating at a gross weight of 3,927 kg.
- The takeoff was performed with 10° flaps instead of the 20° required by the flight manual supplement for such weights.
- The pilot did not use the brakes to hold the aircraft at the threshold during power application.
- The lack of required runway length prevented the aircraft from clearing the obstacles.
- The operator had not conducted a formal safety risk management study regarding the specific operating conditions of the airstrip.
- The pilot performed weight and balance calculations using mental estimation rather than official flight manual tables.
- A culture of complacency and informal practices existed within the operation, characterized by a lack of formal risk management for the airstrip's specific challenges.