Incident Overview
On a morning flight from São Paulo-Congonhas Airport to Londrina with an intermediate stop in Jacarezinho, the aircraft experienced a failure of the onboard ADF system. The captain, aged 23, decided to return to Congonhas. However, the operations staff disallowed the return and forced the crew to continue the flight. Shortly thereafter, weather conditions worsened, with low clouds and heavy rain reducing visibility significantly. While flying at an insufficient altitude, the aircraft struck the slope of the Serra dos Ruvina near Ribeirão Claro.
Casualties and Survivors
Two passengers, a woman and her 5-year-old child, were rescued from the scene. The remaining 20 occupants of the aircraft were killed.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation determined that the captain was imprudent and showed a lack of discipline by continuing the flight in visual flight rules (VFR) mode under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), characterized by poor visibility due to low clouds and heavy rain. Additionally, experts held the head of operations partially responsible for disallowing the pilot to return to Congonhas Airport and forcing him to continue the flight despite the adverse weather.