What happened
On March 23, 2019, an Embraer EMB-711C, registration PT-NMJ, departed from Campo de Marte Airport (SBMT) in São Paulo, bound for Fazenda Irohy Aerodrome (SDIH) in Biritiba-Mirim, SP. The flight was a private training mission consisting of touch-and-go maneuvers, with the pilot and two passengers on board.
After completing an initial touch-and-go, the pilot entered the traffic pattern to perform a simulated emergency engine failure drill. During the approach, the pilot extended the landing gear and set the flaps to 25 degrees. As the aircraft crossed the runway threshold and entered the flare, the pilot commanded the flaps to the maximum 40-degree position. This sudden configuration change significantly increased drag and caused a sharp loss of airspeed and altitude. The pilot was unable to recover the descent, leading to a hard landing that broke the main landing gear.
All three occupants escaped the incident without injuries, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators confirmed that the pilot held a valid Private Pilot License and medical certificate, and the aircraft was airworthy and within weight and balance limits. The investigation focused on the pilot's recent flight activity and the sequence of the landing configuration changes.
Investigators noted that while the pilot was highly experienced with 2,000 flight hours, he had not flown for over 30 days and had accumulated only about four hours of flight time in the preceding 90 days. This low frequency of flight was analyzed in relation to the pilot's decision-making during the critical phase of the landing.