What happened
On the evening of the accident, an aircraft departed from the Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek (SBBR) Aerodrome in Brasília, DF, bound for Congonhas Aerodrome (SBSP) in São Paulo, SP. The flight was scheduled to transport two crewmembers and two passengers. This mission followed an earlier morning flight between the same two cities which had been completed without incident.
During the pre-flight preparations in the cockpit, the crew noted issues regarding the operation of the Pitch Trim System. Approximately thirty minutes after departing Brasília, while the aircraft was climbing near FL370, the cabin voice recorder captured a distinct noise associated with the movement of the horizontal stabilizer. Following this sound, the aircraft entered a high-speed, steep descent. The aircraft type impacted the ground with significant force, resulting in the total destruction of the airframe. There were four fatalities in the accident, as all occupants were killed at the crash site.
Findings
Evidence from the cockpit voice recorder indicates that the uncontrolled movement of the horizontal stabilizer occurred during the climb phase, immediately preceding the terminal descent.