What happened
On 29 September, a B73 37-8EH operating as flight GLO1907 departed Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, Brazil, for Rio de Janeiro, with a scheduled stop in Brasilia. The aircraft was carrying 148 passengers and 6 crewmembers. At 19:53 UTC, the flight made its final communication with the Amazonic Area Control Center before failing to report to the Brasilia Area Control Center as instructed.
Simultaneously, an EMB-135BJ Legacy, registration N600XL, was traveling from São José dos Campos to Manaus. At 20:14 UTC, an emergency message was relayed to air traffic control by another aircraft, stating that the Legacy was experiencing flight control issues and intended to perform an emergency landing at the Campo de Provas Brigadeiro Veloso military aerodrome in Pará. Upon landing, the crew of the N600XL reported that the aircraft had struck an unidentified object during flight, resulting in damage to the left elevator and left wingtip.
Search efforts located the wreckage of the PR-GTD the following day in a dense forest area within the Peixoto de Azevedo region of Mato Grosso. The accident resulted in 154 fatalities, representing the entire occupancy of the Boeing aircraft.
Findings
- The crew of the N600XL reported a mid-air collision with an unidentified object.
- The Legacy aircraft sustained structural damage to its left wingtip and left elevator following the impact.