What happened
On November 5, 2022, at approximately 20:10 UTC, an EMB-201 agricultural aircraft, registration PT-GEU, was performing a transit flight between two landing sites in the Sinop region of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The aircraft had departed from Fazenda Margarida with the intention of moving to Fazenda Nossa Senhora Aparecida to be hangared. During the flight, the crew utilized the aircraft's hopper, which was loaded with 400 liters of water, to disperse part of the load over an active fire near the destination.
During a second pass over the area, the aircraft experienced an engine malfunction. The pilot attempted to go around, but the aircraft entered a high-pitch attitude, resulting in a loss of control. The aircraft struck tall vegetation and crashed into the burning area. The pilot sustained serious injuries, and the aircraft suffered substantial damage before being consumed by the fire.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators established that the pilot was fully qualified and held valid medical and aeronautical licenses, though they possessed relatively low experience in this specific type of agricultural operation. The aircraft was operating within weight and balance limits, and its airworthiness documentation was up to date.
Earlier that same day, the pilot—who also served as the aircraft's maintenance mechanic—had experienced a power loss during a previous flight. Upon landing, the pilot cleaned the fuel injectors, finding injector number 5 completely obstructed and others partially blocked. However, the investigation found that no steps were taken to check for fuel contamination or to inspect filters. The refueling process involved using 200-liter drums and hoses without any filtration system in place. Because the aircraft was destroyed by fire and the refueling equipment had been cleaned prior to the investigators' arrival, a definitive analysis of the fuel or the engine could not be performed.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was an engine malfunction, likely due to a recurrence of fuel injector blockage.
- The pilot's decision to only clean the injectors without investigating the source of the blockage contributed to the event.
- The refueling process lacked proper filtration, increasing the risk of fuel contamination.
- The pilot's flight attitude during the engine failure led to a stall condition and subsequent impact with vegetation.