What happened
On July 27, 2018, a Cessna 210L, registration PP-MMR, departed from an unregistered airstrip in Barra Mansa, near São Félix do Xingu, Pará, bound for Ourilândia do Norte. The aircraft was carrying two crew members and three passengers for a private operation.
Shortly after takeoff, the engine failed. The pilot attempted to return to the departure site but was unable to maintain flight, resulting in a forced landing in a forested area. During the descent, the aircraft struck a 9-meter-tall tree at an angle of approximately 17 degrees. The right wing subsequently collided with another tree, causing the wing to shear off and triggering a fire that consumed the aircraft. The impact resulted in two fatalities and one serious injury among the occupants, while the aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
The CENIPA investigation revealed significant regulatory and maintenance irregularities regarding the aircraft and the pilot. Investigators found that the pilot's medical certificate and single-engine land rating had both been expired since early 2007. While the co-pilot held valid credentials, the aircraft itself was not in a legal state for flight.
Crucially, the aircraft's Airworthiness Certificate had been suspended since August 2017 due to registration irregularities. Furthermore, the annual maintenance inspection was overdue, having expired in August 2017. The investigation also noted that the aircraft was subject to a federal court order for seizure and a flight prohibition issued in August 2017. Due to the absence of the aircraft's logbooks and maintenance records, investigators were unable to verify the total flight hours or recent maintenance history.