What happened
On January 27, 2009, an EMB 202 performing agricultural spraying operations collided with a soybean crop at Fazenda Chapadão, in the municipality of Chapadão do Sul, Brazil. During the application of pesticides, the pilot was flying at an altitude of approximately 1.5 meters above the crop canopy. While attempting to visually inspect the distribution of the atomizers by turning his head to the right, the pilot allowed the aircraft to lose altitude.
The landing gear made contact with the soybean plants, creating significant drag that abruptly reduced the aircraft's airspeed. Despite the pilot's attempt to pull back on the control column, the combination of the heavy weight of the aircraft—which was near its maximum operational limit with full fuel and 200 liters of chemical product in the hopper—and the drag from the crop prevented the aircraft from regaining altitude. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground and overturned, resulting in severe injuries to the pilot, specifically a fractured left clavicle.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the impact and the operational parameters of the flight. Investigators examined the aircraft's performance characteristics, noting that the drag produced by spraying equipment significantly reduces both airspeed and climb rate. The investigation also reviewed aerodynamic studies, such as those from the FAA, regarding optimal spraying heights.
Technical analysis revealed that the aircraft was in an airworthy condition and the pilot held valid commercial licenses and agricultural ratings. However, the investigation highlighted that the pilot's focus on the nozzles caused a momentary lapse in attention, known as a 'slip' or 'lapse' in human error theory, where routine actions become automated and attention is diverted elsewhere.
Findings
- The pilot's attention was diverted to the atomizers on the right wing, leading to an inadvertent loss of altitude.
- The aircraft was operating at a very low altitude (1.5 meters), which is significantly below the recommended safety margin of approximately 5.8 meters (half the wingspan) for an EMB 202.
- The aircraft was operating near its maximum weight limit, which limited the performance margin available to recover from the drag caused by the crop contact.
- The contact between the landing gear and the soybean plants created enough resistance to make a ground impact unavoidable.