What happened
An aircraft traveling from Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport toward São Paulo-Congonhas Airport was forced to divert due to weather conditions. During the descent into Congonhas, the crew encountered visibility levels below established minimums, prompting a decision to return to their point of origin at Santos Dumont.
While performing the approach back to Rio de Janeiro, the aircraft experienced intense vibrations in the left engine. In response, the crew shut down the malfunctioning engine and feathered the propeller. Because the flight was too high for a standard landing, the pilots initiated a go-around procedure. During this maneuver, the aircraft stalled and impacted the surface of Guanabara Bay.
The accident resulted in six fatalities among the passengers, while 24 other occupants were successfully rescued from the wreckage. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash.
Findings
Investigations into the accident revealed that the primary reason for the stall during the go-around was an unintentional reduction of power on the remaining operational engine by the crew. The loss of power from the left engine had already placed significant strain on the flight crew's ability to manage the aircraft.
Several contributing factors were identified, including a lack of visibility and the crew's failure to properly monitor flight instruments during the critical moments of the maneuver. Due to the low altitude at which the stall occurred, there was insufficient clearance from the water to recover the aircraft.