What happened
On April 23, 2017, an Embraer EMB-810C, registration PT-ENY, was involved in an incident at an unregistered landing strip located at Fazenda Itamaraty Norte, near Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso. The aircraft was on the ground with its engines running, engaged in the process of unloading cargo.
During the operation, the pilot attempted to take off in an effort to evade approaching law enforcement. During this attempt, police officers discharged firearms, striking the aircraft and preventing the takeoff. Following the incident, the occupants fled the scene on foot. Federal Police confirmed that approximately 417.90kg of cocaine were seized at the location. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by SERIPA VI, established that the pilot held a valid medical certificate and multi-engine land airplane rating. The aircraft's airworthiness certificate was also valid at the time of the event. However, the investigation was interrupted because the occurrence was directly linked to criminal activity and violations of aeronautical legislation, which, under Brazilian law, renders further safety analysis of the flight sequence moot as the primary cause was external criminal intervention.