What happened
On February 16, 2021, at approximately 11:00 UTC, a Cessna 182N, registration PT-DVB, departed from an unregistered location known as Vila Sumaúma in Mucajaí, Roraima, bound for Prainha, Monte Alegre, Roraima. The flight was intended to cover approximately 137 nautical miles. The aircraft failed to arrive at its destination and was subsequently reported missing.
Search operations were initiated on March 1, 202 and lasted until March 5, 2021. During the mission, aircraft covered an area of over 3,000 square kilometers. Despite these efforts, the aircraft was not located, and the status of the pilot and the condition of the aircraft remained unknown.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation focused on the circumstances surrounding the disappearance. The pilot held a valid private pilot license and a valid medical certificate. While digital flight logs indicated 438 hours of experience in single-engine land aircraft, investigators could not verify recent flight proficiency because the pilot's three most recent takeoffs and landings were not recorded in the digital logbook, as required by Brazilian regulations.
The aircraft, a 1971 model, had a valid airworthiness certificate, and its last annual maintenance inspection had been performed in July 2020. However, investigators were unable to verify the aircraft's weight and balance at the time of the flight or access the maintenance logs for the engine, propeller, or airframe.
Information gathered from local pilots and satellite imagery from the Brazilian Air Force Meteorology Network (REDMET) indicated that meteorological conditions on the flight path and at the destination were not suitable for Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC). Furthermore, the aircraft's Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) was reportedly turned off, and the aircraft was not equipped with a satellite tracking system.
Findings
- The aircraft departed from and was intended to land at unregistered airstrips.
- The pilot's recent flight experience could not be verified due to incomplete digital logbook entries.
- Adverse meteorological conditions were present along the flight route.
- The aircraft's whereabouts remained unknown at the conclusion of the investigation.