Aircraft Collision with Terrain Near Curitiba-Afonso Pena (PP-SDJ)

Flight Details and Initial Progression Aircraft PP-SDJ departed São Paulo-Congonhas Airport at 1015 hours Z, bound for Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Paraná, with five crew members and twenty passengers aboard. The approved IFR flight plan specified Airway Green 3 at flight level 130 and a speed of 300 km/h, with an estimated flight time of one hour for the segment. After takeoff, the flight proceeded in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) until the vicinity of Paranaguá, where it transitioned to instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) amid moderate turbulence. ## Navigation and Position Reporting During the transition to IMC, one ADF was set to the Paranaguá marine NDB (NX-320 kc/s) and the other to the Paranagud NDB (PG-340 kc/s). Without obtaining a correct fix over Paranaguá, the crew transmitted a position report to Curitiba Control at 1117 hours Z and changed heading to 283° magnetic while approaching Curitiba. The ADFs were subsequently tuned to the Curitiba NDB (CT-390 kc/s) and Bacacheri NDB (BI-300 kc/s). The pilots changed ADF frequencies multiple times during the segment, ultimately setting one ADF to the Curitiba NDB and the other to Broadcasting Station ZYM-5 (560 kc/s). ## Descent and Impact In response to the position report, Curitiba Control cleared the aircraft to descend to flight level 70 and report when the Bacacheri NDB was at 30°. The aircraft continued in IMC with moderate turbulence, with airborne radar and VOR switched off. At 1126 hours Z, the pilot reported the Bacacheri NDB at 30° and was instructed to proceed and hold above the Curitiba NDB while descending to flight level 50. At 1128 hours Z, the pilot reported over the Curitiba NDB and initiated the downwind leg for an IFR descent pattern for runway 15 at Curitiba-Afonso Pena. After this transmission, the aircraft departed the 283° magnetic heading to intercept the downwind leg on a 359° heading. Seventeen seconds later, after executing approximately 45° of a right turn, the aircraft collided with a hill at an altitude of 4,635 ft while on a 325° heading. At impact, the aircraft was in a turn with slight right bank. Two crew members and two passengers survived; 21 other occupants were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.