What happened
A night cargo operation departing from Porto Alegre was heading toward Joinville Airport when the accident occurred. During the approach, the crew intended to use the JNV NDB beacon and the subsequent PP NDB to manage their descent, maintaining a minimum safe altitude of 770 feet.
After passing the JNV beacon, the aircraft's ADF system failed to acquire the PP NDB because the station was out of service. In response to this loss of signal, the aircraft began a turn toward a heading of 051 degrees, directed toward the PP beacon situated near São Paulo-Congonhas Airport. The crew did not realize the aircraft had deviated from its intended path and proceeded with the descent. A few minutes later, the aircraft type struck a hill, resulting in a crash. The accident resulted in two fatalities, as both pilots were killed.
Findings
The investigation into the crash of the unspecified aircraft highlights that the inoperative PP NDB beacon prevented the crew from following their planned navigation route. The lack of situational awareness regarding the unintended turn toward the 051-degree heading led the aircraft into terrain during the descent phase.