Fatal Taxi Flight Collision with High-Voltage Pylon at Caratinga-Ubaporanga Airport (PT-ONJ)

Incident Overview and Casualties A twin-engine aircraft departed Goiânia-Santa Genoveva Airport on a taxi flight to Caratinga, carrying three passengers and two pilots. During the final approach to Caratinga-Ubaporanga Airport under visual flight rules (VFR) conditions, the aircraft collided with a lightning rod situated atop a high-voltage pylon. The impact tore off the left engine, causing the aircraft to stall before it crashed into a riverbed approximately 4.1 km short of runway 02. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact forces, and all five occupants were killed. Among the fatalities was Brazilian singer Marília Mendonça, who was 26 years old. ## Official Findings and Contributing Factors The investigation identified several factors related to the accident. Attention was listed as undetermined, with findings suggesting the crew may have focused their vision on the runway at the expense of maintaining proper separation from the terrain during the visual approach. Piloting judgment was identified as a contributor, specifically regarding an inadequate assessment of the aircraft's operating parameters. The downwind leg was elongated by a significantly greater distance than expected for a Category B aircraft in VFR landing procedures. Memory was also listed as undetermined. The investigation noted that the pilot-in-command's procedural memory, based on ten years of operation in a company governed by RBAC 121, may have influenced decisions concerning the aircraft's conduct. The habit of performing long final approaches in another type of operation may have activated procedural memory, making the actions automated in relation to the profile performed in the accident. Flight planning was listed as undetermined. The possible non-use of available aeronautical charts, specifically CAP 9453 and WAC 3189, which were intended to meet the needs of visual flight, may have contributed to low situational awareness about the characteristics of the relief around the SNCT Aerodrome and the presence of the power grid that interfered with the aircraft's landing approach.