What happened
On July 9, 2019, a Cessna 182P, registration PT-KDU, departed from an unregistered airstrip known as Girassol, located in Itaituba, Pará, for a cargo flight to Garimpo São Bento. The flight was intended to transport goods, with a single pilot on board. The aircraft failed to reach its destination and was subsequently declared missing. Following the conclusion of search efforts on August 6, 2019, the aircraft's status and the condition of the pilot remained unknown.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators established that the flight was conducted under several regulatory violations. The pilot held a valid single-engine land rating, but his medical certificate had been expired since February 22, 2019. Furthermore, the aircraft was not in an airworthy condition; its Airworthiness Certificate had expired in May 2016, and the Annual Maintenance Inspection had been overdue since May 2011.
The investigation also noted that the departure occurred from an unregistered airstrip, which is contrary to established aviation regulations. Due to the lack of wreckage and the absence of available data, investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the disappearance or the extent of any damage to the aircraft.