What happened
On March 7, 2011, an EMB-720D, registration PT-VMG, departed from the Marechal Thaumaturgo aerodrome in Acre, Brazil, bound for Cruzeiro do Sul. The flight was carrying one pilot and four passengers. Approximately three minutes after takeoff, the pilot noticed a gradual decrease in engine power. Upon attempting to adjust the throttle, the pilot discovered that the throttle lever had become disconnected from the engine's fuel injector control, resulting in a loss of engine command.
Unable to maintain level flight and unable to return to the airport, the pilot executed an emergency landing in a pasture at the Três Corações farm. During the landing roll, the aircraft traveled approximately 105 meters before striking a fence and hitting a small rise in the terrain. The impact caused significant damage to the aircraft, including the collapse of the nose and right landing gear, wing damage, and fuel tank punctures. Despite the severe damage to the airframe, all five occupants escaped the wreckage without injury.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators examined the wreckage and the aircraft's maintenance records. The investigation focused on the mechanical failure of the throttle linkage and the discrepancies found in the aircraft's logbooks. Investigators inspected the engine and found that the terminal of the flexible control cable for the throttle lever had become disconnected from the fuel injector power lever due to the absence of the bolt that should have secured the two components together.
Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the fuel injector installed in the engine did not match the serial number recorded in the aircraft's component control map. The maintenance logs were also found to be outdated, and the replacement of the fuel injector had not been officially recorded in the engine logbook.