What happened
On March 26, 2015, a Piper PA-3-220T, registration PR-FBJ, was performing a transport flight from Petrolina, PE, to the Walfrido Salmito de Almeida aerodrome in São Benedito, CE. The aircraft was carrying a pilot and three passengers.
During the descent toward the destination, the pilot reported that the left engine failed following a reduction in power. At the time of the failure, the aircraft was positioned to the right of its intended route due to maneuvers required to avoid weather formations. After evaluating the engine parameters and fuel system, the pilot determined the aircraft could not reach the planned destination.
Seeking an emergency landing site, the pilot bypassed an unregistered strip in Ipu, CE, and opted for an uncertified landing strip located in the rural area of Guaraciaba do Norte, CE. During the landing roll, the aircraft lost control and veered to the right. The wings made contact with surrounding vegetation, as the effective width of the strip had been reduced to approximately 11 meters, which was narrower than the aircraft's wingspan of 11.86 meters. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, but all four occupants were uninjured.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's performance capabilities and the pilot's decision-making process. Investigators analyzed performance charts and determined that, given the aircraft's altitude and weight at the time of the engine failure, it possessed sufficient capability to reach the original destination, which was only 9 NM away.
Initial inspections of the left engine did not reveal any evidence of malfunction prior to the impact with the vegetation. The investigation also noted that the pilot, who had approximately 25,000 total flight hours, had no prior experience operating at the intended destination aerodrome.