Accident Details
The flight from Tarauacá was uneventful until the crew began the descent to Rio Branco–Presidente Médici Airport. Visibility was limited due to night and rain. During the final approach, the aircraft descended below the minimum descent altitude (MDA) while maintaining a speed of 130 knots. It struck the ground and crashed in a field located 4 km short of runway 06. The aircraft was totally destroyed.
Eight passengers were rescued from the wreckage. Twenty-three other occupants were killed, among them the Brazilian politician Ildefonço Cardeiro.
Probable Cause and Contributing Factors
The official investigation determined that the exact cause of the accident could not be established with certainty. However, it is believed that the accident resulted from a controlled flight into terrain after the crew continued the approach in poor weather conditions and descended below the MDA, with the aircraft in a flaps-and-gear-down configuration.
The following contributing factors were identified:
- A difference of 70 feet in the altimeter settings between the two pilots.
- Poor crew coordination.
- Complacency on the part of the flying crew, causing several deviations from procedures during the approach.
- Lack of crew resource management.
- The crew failed to check the altitude during the final stage of the approach.
- Poor weather conditions.