Accident Summary
A scheduled domestic flight from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro with 5 crew and 45 passengers on board crashed shortly after takeoff from São Paulo-Congonhas Airport. The accident occurred at night in a well-illuminated, densely populated area. The aircraft was destroyed on impact, resulting in the deaths of 4 crew members and 33 passengers, with 13 other occupants sustaining injuries.
Sequence of Events
After an eight-minute delay due to heavy traffic, the flight was cleared for takeoff. One minute after departure, the pilot-in-command reported to the tower that the aircraft's n°2 engine was on fire and that he would return. A left turn was initiated, and the pilot presumably feathered the n°2 propeller. While on the downwind leg for runway 16, the pilot asked tower operators if they could see anything abnormal about the n°2 engine; the operators, with the engine hidden by the fuselage, reported they could see nothing abnormal. The propeller was then presumably unfeathered, causing it to windmill. Approximately abeam the tower, the aircraft began losing altitude. As it started the final turn, altitude became very low. The aircraft was probably nosed up and stalled with a bank of 45°, striking a house with its nose and left wing before hitting the ground (elevation 800 meters) and rotating 260° on its left wing.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation determined that, for unknown reasons, the alarm bell indicating overheating rang immediately after takeoff. The pilot-in-command, believing n°2 engine was on fire, presumably feathered the n°2 propeller. During the downwind leg, the propeller was unfeathered, but the fuel shut-off valve was not reopened, causing the propeller to windmill. Although engine n°1 was still operating at takeoff power, the aircraft could not maintain altitude. Entering the last turn to base leg, the aircraft was very low, and the pilot presumably tried to lift the nose to avoid striking buildings near the airport, causing the aircraft to stall. At this time, one of the crew probably used the flaps. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft banked 45°, struck a house, and crashed. The investigation noted that if the pilot had refeathered the n°2 engine when altitude was lost, safe landing might have been possible. The probable primary cause was pilot error and improper procedure on unfeathering the n°2 engine. The probable secondary cause was a probable material failure of one or both engines overheating.