What happened
On November 17, 2022, at approximately 18:10 UTC, a Sportcruiser SS120, registration PU-BRT, was conducting a private flight from São José, Santa Catarina, to Americana, São Paulo. The aircraft was carrying a pilot and one passenger. After roughly 25 minutes of flight, while traveling along the coastline, the pilot reported a loss of engine power to Florianópolis Approach.
In response to the engine failure, the pilot executed an emergency landing on the beach at Praia do Pontal, near Navegantes, SC. During the water landing, the aircraft overturned, causing the cabin to become submerged. Bystanders at the scene assisted the occupants in exiting the aircraft after righting it. The impact caused the engine to detach from the fuselage, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Both the pilot and the passenger sustained minor injuries.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators examined the wreckage and the engine assembly to determine the cause of the power loss. The investigation found that the engine was seized. Upon inspecting the oil filter, investigators discovered metal shavings (swarf) within the lubricant, which indicated abnormal wear of the engine's internal components.
Because the aircraft's documentation—including the logbooks, engine and propeller records, weight and balance sheets, and the Airworthiness Verification Certificate—was lost at sea during the accident, investigators were unable to evaluate the maintenance history or confirm if the aircraft was within its weight and balance limits. While the pilot held valid medical and single-engine licenses, the investigation could not definitively establish the pilot's specific qualifications for this flight due to a lack of recent flight experience data.