What happened
On the evening of the incident, a twin-engine EMB-121 A1 departed from Sorocaba-Estadual Bertram Luiz Leupolz Airport at 20:30 local time, bound for Palmas, Tocantins. The flight was operated with one pilot and four passengers on board. Shortly after the departure, a fire warning light activated on the alarm panel, indicating an issue with the right engine.
In response to the warning, the pilot deactivated the right engine and declared an emergency. Air traffic control authorized a diversion to Campinas-Viracopos Airport. During the approach to the destination, the aircraft descended below the appropriate altitude. The pilot performed an emergency landing in a prairie area situated approximately 7 km before reaching the threshold of runway 15. The wreckage was located less than one kilometer from the Jardim Bassoli condominium. All five occupants survived the impact with slight injuries, though the aircraft was destroyed.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several contributing factors related to flight management and pilot performance. The difficulty of managing the aircraft in a single-engine configuration led to improper control application. Specifically, the crew configured the aircraft too early by extending the landing gear and setting the flaps to 100%, which caused the plane to descend on a glide path below the recommended parameters.
Furthermore, the pilot's training was found to be insufficient for the technical demands of operating the EMB-121 A1. This lack of adequate preparation resulted in poor judgment regarding aircraft parameters and an inability to properly assess the emergency situation during the descent.