What happened
On April 17, 2008, at 11:20 UTC, a Neiva EMB-201, registration PT-GIE, was performing agricultural spraying operations at the Santa Terezinha plant in Terra Rica, Paraná. The aircraft was attempting to depart from an unpaved runway located at the plantation. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft failed to reach rotation speed. In an attempt to generate lift, the pilot deployed the flaps near the end of the runway. While the aircraft briefly left the ground, the increased drag from the flaps caused it to lose altitude and strike a sugarcane field at the end of the runway. The pilot escaped the incident uninjured, and the aircraft sustained light damage.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators noted that the occurrence was not reported in a timely manner, as the aircraft was moved to the company's headquarters without authorization from the investigation commission. This prevented investigators from determining the exact weight of the aircraft or the amount of fuel on board at the time of takeoff.
Maintenance records for the airframe, engine, and propeller were found to be up to date, and no mechanical failures were identified. Investigation of the engine power indicated the impact occurred while the engine was at high power. While meteorological reports were unavailable, local reports suggested favorable flying conditions, though the runway surface was noted to be slippery and soft due to rain the previous day.
Regarding personnel, the investigation found that the pilot had 4,000 total flight hours but only 20 hours of experience in this specific aircraft model. Furthermore, the operator lacked a structured selection process, having hired the pilot via a telephone referral without verifying specific agricultural flight experience. The aircraft's hopper load had also not been jettisoned prior to the takeoff attempt.
Findings
- Inadequate pilot judgment regarding the use of flaps, which increased drag and prevented sustained flight.
- Flawed flight planning, specifically failing to account for the increased takeoff distance required by the soft, slippery runway conditions.
- Insufficient pilot experience in the specific aircraft model.
- Failure to reduce the aircraft's weight by jettisoning the hopper load prior to takeoff.