What happened
On June 7, 2014, a Piper PA-28-235, registration PT-LAO, was attempting to take off from an uncertified landing strip in Crepurizão, Pará. During the initial stages of the takeoff roll, an engine fire occurred, forcing the pilot to interrupt the maneuver. The aircraft was subsequently destroyed by the fire.
The investigation
Information regarding the occurrence was initially brought to light via social media by third parties. Local Military Police responded to the scene, but the aircraft's identification plate could not be located; the registration was instead identified through photographic evidence of the fire. The investigation noted that the pilot survived the event and left the scene before authorities could make contact. Furthermore, the owner, operator, and pilot were not located by investigators.
CENIPA terminated the investigation because the operation was being conducted in violation of aeronautical legislation. The aircraft was operating from a non-homologated location and its Certificate of Airworthiness had been canceled. Because the occurrence involved illegal operations that bypassed established safety regulations, investigators determined that further analysis would not yield new preventive knowledge for the aeronautical safety system.