What happened
On February 5, 2017, a Cessna 210L, registration PR-ORA, was performing a private flight toward the Mundico Coelho airstrip near the Creporizão mining area in Itaituba, Pará. During the landing sequence, the main landing gear retracted, causing the aircraft's fuselage to drag along the ground. The aircraft veered to the left and eventually came to a stop in a depression located beside the runway.
Following the landing, the crew took deliberate actions to obscure the aircraft's identity. Footage of the event showed the occupants covering the fuselage with a tarp and positioning themselves to hide the aircraft's nationality and registration marks. Furthermore, the aircraft was removed from the accident site by local authorities without the authorization of the aeronautical investigation authority (SIPAER).
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation was interrupted due to the lack of official information and the deliberate interference with the scene. The investigation established that the aircraft's annual maintenance inspection had been expired since August 2014, and its Certificate of Airworthiness had been canceled in September 2016.
The crew failed to report the accident to the proper authorities, and the pilot fled the scene without providing any statements. Additionally, reports indicated that the aircraft had been transporting fuel drums, which were reportedly discarded into a nearby river after the aircraft had been circling the runway for approximately two hours prior to the landing attempt.
Findings
- The main landing gear retracted during the landing, causing the fuselage to drag.
- The aircraft's annual maintenance inspection was significantly overdue.
- The aircraft was operating with a canceled Certificate of Airworthiness.
- The crew intentionally obscured the aircraft's registration and nationality marks.
- The aircraft was removed from the site without authorization from the investigating authority.
- The accident was not officially reported by the operator.