What happened
On March 26, 2013, at approximately 15:20 UTC, a Neiva EMB 201, registration PT-GFF, crashed in a dense forest near Barreiro, in the municipality of Sorriso, Mato Grosso. The aircraft had departed from the Berrante de Ouro farm around 11:00 AM to perform agricultural pesticide spraying over a corn plantation.
After the aircraft failed to return as scheduled, a ground support team initiated a search operation assisted by a second aircraft. The wreckage was located within a heavily forested area. The pilot was rescued from the debris and transported to a hospital with severe facial trauma. Although initially survived the impact, the pilot passed away three days later due to the injuries sustained.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation revealed a series of critical regulatory and maintenance failures. The investigation established that the aircraft was being operated in total violation of Brazilian aviation laws. The authorities noted that because the occurrence was driven by intentional illegalities, further investigation into the specific flight mechanics was deemed unlikely to yield new safety recommendations, as the primary issue was the lack of adherence to existing regulations.
Findings
- The pilot was operating the aircraft without a valid pilot license or a valid Medical Certificate (CMA).
- The aircraft's Certificate of Airworthiness (CA) had been canceled since December 15, 2009.
- The engine had undergone an unauthorized conversion to operate on ethanol, deviating from the manufacturer's specifications for AvGas.
- There were no maintenance records from certified workshops for the five years preceding the accident.
- The aircraft was destroyed upon impact.