What happened
On the date of the accident, a transport aircraft departed from Santos Dumont Airport (SBRJ) at 12:21 UTC, traveling toward Santos Aerodrome (SBST). The flight was carrying five passengers and two pilots. While operating under the radar surveillance of the Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo approach control units, the flight proceeded without any reported irregularities.
As the aircraft approached its destination, the crew established communication with Santos Radio and indicated their plan to execute an IFR ECHO 1 RWY 35 NDB approach. After reaching the final approach stage, the flight crew notified controllers of their intention to perform a go-around and enter a holding pattern before contacting the flight information service again.
Witnesses located at the Port of Santos and near the Santos Air Base observed the aircraft flying at a low altitude over the runway. The aircraft was seen performing a left-hand turn after passing the departure end of the runway. Shortly after this maneuver, the aircraft disappeared from view due to poor weather conditions and subsequently struck the ground. The impact resulted in seven fatalities, with no survivors among the occupants of the aircraft type.
Findings
Ground observers noted that adverse weather conditions prevented them from maintaining visual contact with the aircraft during its final maneuvers prior to the crash.