Incident Overview
An aircraft approaching Santos Dumont Airport abandoned its first landing attempt due to poor weather conditions. A second approach was made, and the aircraft landed with a tailwind on a wet runway. After touchdown, the airplane could not stop within the remaining distance, overran the runway, and plunged into Guanabara Bay.
All 38 occupants were rescued from the water. The aircraft itself was lost.
Circumstances
The initial approach to Santos Dumont Airport was abandoned because of poor weather conditions. The flight crew then executed a second approach and landed on a wet runway with a tailwind component. Upon landing, the aircraft was unable to decelerate sufficiently and overran the runway, ending up in Guanabara Bay.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause to be: Wrong approach configuration on part of the flying crew who landed on a wet runway with a tailwind component that he failed to take into consideration for the landing procedure. After touchdown, the brake conditions were poor because the runway was wet, which was considered as a contributory factor.