What happened
On January 20, 2012, at approximately 21:00 UTC, an EMB-201A aircraft, registration PT-UEW, was performing agricultural spraying operations over Fazenda Cachoeirinha in Cachoeira Dourada, Goiás. The aircraft had departed from a nearby landing strip to apply pesticides to a soybean crop.
During a recovery maneuver following a spray pass, the aircraft struck high-voltage power lines. The impact caused the pilot to lose control, leading to a subsequent impact with the ground. The collision triggered a fire upon impact. The pilot successfully evacuated the aircraft before the fire could spread, sustaining minor injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage due to the ground impact and the fire, and the collision also caused damage to an electrical transmission tower and the rupture of high-voltage cables.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation established that the pilot was qualified for the type of operation and was performing his second harvest season as an agricultural pilot. The aircraft's airworthiness certificate was valid, and all maintenance logs for the engine, propeller, and airframe were up to date. Meteorological conditions at the time were favorable for visual flight rules (VFR).
The investigation focused on the pilot's pre-flight procedures. It was determined that the pilot had not performed a ground reconnaissance of the application area to plan the work, opting instead to identify obstacles during the flight itself. While the pilot reported identifying the towers and wires during a visual pass, the aerial reconnaissance method proved insufficient to detect the significant threat of the power lines crossing nearly perpendicular to the intended flight path.
Findings
- Inadequate flight planning regarding obstacle identification.
- Errors in pilot judgment during the aerial reconnaissance process.
- Failure to conduct a ground reconnaissance of the application area to identify hazards such as power lines.
- The pilot's reliance on aerial identification during the mission led to the failure to recognize significant threats.