What happened
On December 23, 2016, a Beechcraft 58, registration PT-ICU, was performing a personnel transport flight from Tefé Aerodrome to Tabatinga Aerodrome in Amazonas, Brazil. Approximately five minutes before reaching its destination, the pilot declared an emergency via radio and attempted an emergency landing within a forested area of the Nossa Senhora de Aparecida Indigenous Community.
During the descent, the aircraft collided with treetops approximately 25 meters high. The impact occurred at an angle of roughly 30 degrees, causing the aircraft to disintegrate. Following the collision, the wreckage caught fire, which almost completely consumed the airframe. The accident resulted in three fatalities—comprising both pilots and one passenger—while a second passenger survived with minor injuries.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators examined the wreckage and the two Continental IO-520 engines. While the left engine was too heavily damaged by fire to undergo functional testing, the right engine was recovered 15 meters from the main wreckage site. Technical inspections of the right engine revealed several discrepancies, including a fracture in a cylinder body, a broken piston compression ring, and a malfunctioning right magneto with burnt platinum and damaged capacitor wire protection. Although these issues could cause power loss or increased oil consumption, investigators noted they were not sufficient to cause the engines to stop entirely.
Furthermore, the investigation found that the aircraft still had approximately 418 pounds of fuel remaining at the time of the crash. Because no technical failure was found that could explain the total loss of power, the exact reason for the emergency remains inconclusive.
Findings
- Inadequate crew training: The copilot had not received the required transition training specific to the Beechcraft 58 model, which may have hindered the proficient execution of emergency procedures.
- Maintenance inadequacies: Discrepancies found in the engines suggested that periodic maintenance interventions were not sufficient to prevent mechanical issues that could lead to powerplant malfunction.
- Management planning failures: There was an organizational failure in assigning a second-in-command to flight operations without the necessary model-specific qualifications.
Safety action
CENIPA issued recommendations to Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to:
- Verify that the maintenance services performed by Parintins Serviços e Comércio de Peças para Aviões LTD comply with required safety standards.
- Ensure that the operator, Parintins Air Taxi LTD, complies with RBAC 135 regulations regarding the required training and qualifications for second-in-command pilots.