What happened
On December 23, 2016, an Embraer EMB-201A (registration PT-UEA) was performing an agricultural spraying operation at Fazenda São Carlos in Novo Horizonte, São Paulo. The aircraft took off from a local airstrip with 600 kg of agricultural chemicals in the hopper and 140 liters of fuel on board.
Shortly after leaving the ground, the engine experienced a loss of power. To manage the emergency, the pilot lowered the aircraft's nose and jettisoned the chemical load from the hopper. The pilot then performed a forced landing beyond the end of the airstrip. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the propeller and landing gear, as well as minor damage to the engine and fuselage, but the pilot escaped without injury.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance history and the fuel used during the operation. While the pilot was fully qualified and the aircraft's airworthiness certificate was valid, investigators found that the logbooks for the airframe, engine, and propeller had not been updated.
Technical analysis of the engine revealed that it was still running at the time of impact, though the propeller was rotating at low RPM, evidenced by symmetrical backward deformation of the blade tips. The investigation focused on the fuel supply, as the aircraft had been refueled via a tanker truck from the farm. Laboratory tests on fuel samples taken from both the aircraft's tanks and the truck's filtration system revealed that the electrical conductivity, density, and alcohol content of the ethanol were outside the specifications required by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP).
Findings
- The engine experienced a loss of power during the takeoff phase.
- Fuel samples used in the aircraft were found to be out of technical specification.
- There was a lack of adequate oversight by the operator regarding the quality, storage, and transport of fuel.
- The fuel delivery system (tanker truck) may not have met the technical requirements established by ABNT NBR 13310.
- The aircraft's maintenance logbooks were not up to date.