What happened
On December 20, 2012, a Piper PA-25-235, registration PR-AAV, was conducting an agricultural flight instruction mission near Itápolis, São Paulo. The flight, operated by EJ Aero Agrícola Ltda., was intended to train a pilot in agricultural application techniques. During a simulated application pass over a sugarcane plantation, the aircraft experienced a sudden and continuous loss of engine power.
The student pilot performed an emergency landing within the sugarcane field. While the pilot escaped the aircraft uninjured, the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the main landing gear, propeller, spraying equipment, wings, and fuselage. Following the landing, a check of the fuel tanks revealed only residual fuel remained.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation focused on the operational procedures of the flight school and the fuel management practices of the operator. Investigators found that the organization followed an informal refueling routine where aircraft were typically fueled at the start of the day to cover multiple subsequent flights. This practice relied on the instructor's memory and commitment rather than a documented checklist.
On the day of the accident, the aircraft had already completed two 20-minute instructional flights prior to the occurrence. The investigation established that the total flight time since the last recorded refueling was approximately two and a half hours, which matched the estimated endurance of the fuel load. Because the student pilot was performing consecutive flights, the pre-flight inspection—specifically the fuel level check—was not performed between sorties. Furthermore, the instructor on the ground did not actively supervise or verify the fuel levels, assuming the task had been completed.
Findings
- Fuel exhaustion due to inadequate flight planning and failure to refuel the aircraft before the third flight of the day.
- Lack of formalized, written procedures for fuel monitoring and refueling within the organization.
- Inadequate supervision by the instructor regarding the student's pre-flight fuel checks.
- Organizational reliance on informal processes rather than standardized operational checklists.