What happened
On November 11, 2017, an Embraer EMB-202A, registration PT-VTW, was preparing for an agricultural spraying mission from an unregistered landing strip in São Miguel, located in Restinga Seca, Rio Grande do Sul. During the takeoff roll, the pilot attempted to lift the aircraft but was unable to achieve rotation. Consequently, the pilot decided to abort the takeoff. During the aborted procedure, the aircraft overran the end of the runway, overturned, and came to rest in a rice field. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, though the pilot escaped the incident uninjured.
The investigation
CENIPA was notified of the occurrence via an anonymous report. The investigation faced significant obstacles from the outset. The crash site had been decommissioned and debris removed prior to the arrival of investigators, preventing the collection of critical on-site data. Furthermore, an inspection by the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) at the operator's headquarters revealed that the PT-VTW had undergone repairs following the accident without authorization from the civil aviation regulatory authority. Due to the passage of time and the unauthorized repairs, investigators were unable to determine the exact damage, verify meteorological conditions, or perform weight and balance calculations.
Findings
While the pilot held valid commercial and agricultural licenses and was experienced in this type of operation, the investigation could not identify specific contributing factors due to the loss of evidence. The primary obstacle to the investigation was the unauthorized alteration of the aircraft and the removal of wreckage, which rendered the determination of a causal chain impossible.