What happened
On May 3, 2013, an EMB-201A, registration PT-GUR, was performing agricultural spraying operations over a cornfield at Fazenda Ariranha, near Jata and, Brazil. The aircraft was engaged in applying insecticide when, at the conclusion of one of the spray runs, it failed to gain sufficient altitude. The aircraft subsequently collided with trees in an adjacent area of native forest.
The impact resulted in one fatality (the pilot) and substantial damage to the aircraft. The wreckage was distributed linearly along the flight path, with the left wing striking trees first, followed by the separation of the right wing from the fuselage.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators conducted a reconstruction of the aircraft (mockup) to understand the accident dynamics. The investigation focused on the structural integrity of the wing and the maintenance history of the aircraft.
Investigators found that the right wing had failed due to fatigue in the lower spar flange. This fatigue led to a rupture that overloaded the remaining section of the spar, causing the wing to detach in flight. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the aircraft's maintenance logs and logbooks were outdated. While the aircraft had undergone a major inspection in late 2012, there were significant discrepancies in flight hour records. Based on fuel consumption, it was determined that the aircraft had flown at least 100 hours beyond the interval required for a specific mandatory inspection.
Findings
- The primary cause of the structural failure was fatigue in the lower spar flange of the right wing, which led to the loss of the wing in flight.
- The aircraft had exceeded the flight hour limit for a mandatory inspection required by Emergency Airworthiness Directive (DAE) 2013-02-01 (Service Bulletin 200-057-A005), which was designed to detect corrosion and cracks.
- The pilot, who was also the owner of the operating company, intentionally operated the aircraft knowing that the mandatory inspection had not been performed.
- There were significant organizational failures regarding maintenance management, including a lack of effective control over aircraft logbooks and flight hour tracking.
- The failure to perform the required inspection prevented the identification of the corrosion and fatigue issues that led to the accident.