What happened
On December 17, 2018, a Beechcraft 95-B55, registration PT-KIL, was performing a private passenger flight from Envira to Tabatinga, Amazonas. During the cruise phase of the flight, the pilot experienced a loss of power in the left engine, followed shortly by a loss of power in the right engine.
As the aircraft could no longer maintain level flight, the pilot initiated an emergency descent. The pilot managed to establish contact with air traffic control in Letícia, Colombia, to declare the emergency before performing a forced landing on the Jandiatuba River. After touching down on the water, the aircraft slid toward the riverbank into dense vegetation. Upon impact, the aircraft caught fire and was completely destroyed. The pilot sustained minor injuries, while the two passengers were uninjured.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators faced significant challenges due to the remote location of the accident and the destruction of essential documentation. The aircraft's maintenance logs and the pilot's flight time records were reportedly destroyed in the fire, making it impossible to verify the aircraft's recent maintenance history or the pilot's actual flight experience.
While the aircraft's airworthiness certificate was valid and the takeoff weight was within limits, the investigation could not confirm if the manufacturer's maintenance program had been strictly followed. The investigation also noted that the pilot did not fully follow the emergency checklist, specifically failing to turn off the magnetos and alternators before the landing. It is suspected that residual electrical current, combined with the rupture of fuel tanks during impact, may have ignited the fire.
Findings
- The aircraft experienced a sequential failure of both engines during flight.
- The pilot failed to follow the complete emergency checklist, relying on memory instead of the written procedures.
- The failure to shut off the magnetos and alternators may have contributed to the post-impact fire.
- The lack of accessible maintenance records prevented a thorough evaluation of the aircraft's mechanical airworthiness.