Fatal Twin-Engine Crash Near Piracicaba Airport (PS-CSM)

Accident Overview and Casualties A twin-engine airplane crashed in a eucalyptus forest approximately 1.5 km north of Piracicaba Airport shortly after takeoff from Runway 35. During the initial climb, the stall warning alarm sounded, and the aircraft struggled to gain altitude. It entered a right turn, descended, and disintegrated on impact. All seven people on board were killed. The occupants included pilot Celso Elias Carloni, copilot Giovani Dedini Gulo, and five passengers: Brazilian businessman Celso Silveira Mello Filho, age 73, his wife Maria Luiza Meneghel, and their three children, Celso Meneghel Silveira Mello, Camila Meneghel Silveira Mello Zanforlin, and Fernando Meneghel Silveira Mello. ## Official Findings The investigation identified several contributing factors. Attention was a contributor, as the crew fixated on excessive RPM and failed to notice the decreasing speed in a timely manner, limiting their response to the stall. Attitude was also a contributor; the aircraft rotated at 102 knots, a speed consistent with the prescribed maximum takeoff weight, but the aircraft was 1,374 pounds above that limit, triggering a pre-stall alarm. Piloting judgment was a contributor because the takeoff was conducted above the weight limit with typical speeds and parameters, and power was reduced shortly after landing gear retraction, without adequate assessment of flight parameters. Perception was a contributor, as the stall condition was not perceived in time, and the crew’s attention was drawn to a slightly excessive propeller RPM of up to 25 RPM. The investigation classified training, work-group culture, handling of aircraft flight controls, aircraft maintenance, and memory as undetermined factors. These included possible insufficient training due to the aircraft’s classification, a common belief among operators that the King Air could take off above manufacturer-specified weight, a possible command to feather a propeller after the stall warning, maintenance record discrepancies, and a possible “negative transfer” from the PIC’s experience with the E110 aircraft.