Incident Overview
During a routine night flight from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport to Fortaleza-Pinto Martins Airport in Ceará, the flight crew initiated a descent as cleared by air traffic control (ATC) to 5,000 feet. While the captain faced the city lights, he descended below the prescribed altitude of 5,000 feet. Despite two altitude alert system warnings and a copilot's warning about mountains ahead, the captain continued the descent until the aircraft struck a wooded mountain in the Aratanha Mountain Range, approximately 26 km southwest of the airport.
Impact and Aftermath
The aircraft disintegrated upon impact. All 137 occupants on board were killed.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation identified the probable cause: For unknown reasons, the captain continued the descent below 5,000 feet as instructed by ATC and ignored GPWS and pilot warnings.