What happened
On the night of April 11, 2015, a Cessna 210L, registration PR-APG, crashed into the ground near the village of Lajeiro, in the municipality of Assunção do Piauí, Brazil. The aircraft was flying over the region between Assunção do Piauí and São Miguel do Tapuio, near the border of the state of Ceará, when it lost control and struck the terrain.
Upon arrival at the site the following morning, local police discovered the aircraft wreckage and the charred remains of one individual. Additionally, authorities found a significant quantity of illegal drugs, specifically 30kg of cocaine, at the crash site. Shortly after the accident, police arrested six men near the wreckage who were allegedly involved in operating the aircraft at a clandestine airstrip located approximately four nautical miles away.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators established that the flight was conducted without a filed flight plan and without any communication with air traffic control services. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, held a valid Commercial Pilot License; however, his technical ratings for single-engine land (MNTE) and instrument flight (IFR) had been expired since April 1989. Furthermore, the pilot's medical certificate (CMA) had been invalid since November 2011.
While the aircraft's airworthiness certificate (CA) was valid, the engine was notably absent from the wreckage site when investigators arrived. Due to the discovery of illegal narcotics and the evidence of criminal activity related to the operation of the aircraft, CENIPA exercised its authority to terminate the investigation. Under Brazilian aeronautical regulations (NSCA 3-13), investigations may be halted if there is evidence of intentional unlawful acts that would not yield new knowledge for the prevention of future aeronautical accidents.