Incident Details
On July 7, 2024, at 21:00 UTC, a Piper PA-28-23 (registration PT-JNW) made a forced landing in a cotton field at Fazenda Tucunaré, Sapezal, Mato Grosso, Brazil. According to a police report, the aircraft had departed from an unknown location en route to Ariquemes, Rondônia, for a ferry flight to deliver the aircraft to its new owner. During the flight, the engine failed, prompting the forced landing. Both the pilot and passenger exited the aircraft uninjured.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft, serial number 28-7310169, was manufactured by Piper Aircraft in 1973. It was registered in the Private Air Services category. According to the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency's Integrated System, the aircraft was grounded, its Certificate of Airworthiness had been canceled, and its Certificate of Airworthiness Verification and Annual Maintenance Inspection had expired since August 14, 2019. Therefore, the aircraft was not airworthy at the time of the accident and should not have been in operation.
Investigation Challenges
The investigation authority (SIPAER) learned of the accident only on July 17, 2024, ten days after the event, through a media report. The aircraft operator did not report the accident as required by regulations. Attempts to contact the owner/operator via telephone listed in the Brazilian Aeronautical Register were unsuccessful. The farm manager reported that the occupants left the scene immediately after the accident without providing contact information.
On July 11, 2024, during nighttime, the aircraft was removed from the accident site without authorization from SIPAER, violating Brazilian law. Consequently, the initial investigation action could not be performed. As of the final report, the investigation commission had not identified the occupants or located the aircraft. Damage assessment was not possible.
Conclusion
The accident involved an unairworthy aircraft operating in violation of civil aviation regulations. The contributing factors were deemed indeterminate by the investigation.