What happened
On December 17, 2014, an Embraer EMB-201 agricultural aircraft, registration PT-GGA, departed from an improvised landing strip in Anicuns, Goiás, to perform crop dusting operations. The mission involved applying 400 liters of pesticide at Fazenda Floresta, located in Nazário, Goiás.
During the flight, after completing a second application pass, the pilot attempted a repositioning turn (often referred to as a "balloon" turn). During this maneuver, the aircraft struck a hill characterized by steep terrain. The impact caused the aircraft to catch fire, which completely destroyed the airframe. The pilot sustained serious injuries.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation revealed significant regulatory and maintenance discrepancies regarding the aircraft. Although the pilot held valid commercial licenses and agricultural ratings, the aircraft's airworthiness certificate had been expired since August 2009 due to a failure to perform the required annual maintenance inspection, which had been overdue since November 2009. Additionally, the logs for the engine, propeller, and airframe were not up to date.
A critical finding involved the aircraft's propulsion system. The aircraft was operating on ethanol; however, investigators determined that this specific unit (serial number 200-0111) was not eligible for the Embraer-authorized conversion to ethanol fuel, as that bulletin only applied to aircraft from serial number 200-0277 onwards.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating with unauthorized fuel conversion (ethanol) for its specific serial number.
- The aircraft's airworthiness certificate was expired.
- The annual maintenance inspection was significantly overdue.
- The aircraft struck terrain during a repositioning maneuver.