What happened
During a flight departing from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport toward Santa Cruz AFB, the crew experienced significant mechanical issues involving the undercarriage. While the problems were identified shortly after takeoff, the landing gear could not be successfully redeployed following its initial malfunction.
To ensure the safety of those on board, the captain elected to abort the mission and perform an emergency return to Galeão Airport. During the landing sequence, the aircraft made contact with the runway surface without the support of its wheels. The aircraft type underwent a belly landing, sliding for several dozen yards along the runway before coming to a complete stop.
Despite the intensity of the impact, there were zero fatalities and no injuries were reported among the occupants. However, the structural damage sustained during the slide was severe enough that the aircraft was declared a total loss.
Findings
Investigations into the incident concluded that the primary factor leading to the emergency landing was technical difficulties with the undercarriage mechanism.