What happened
On May 23, 2012, a Neiva EMB 810-D, registration PT-VLU, departed from Toledo Aerodrome (SBTD) in Paraná, Brazil, bound for Fazenda Borereo, Mato Grosso. The aircraft was operating a private flight with one pilot and four passengers on board. The weather conditions at the time were favorable for visual flight.
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noticed that the nose gear had failed to lock in the up position. Although the pilot attempted to cycle the landing gear lever to extend the gear and performed the emergency extension procedure, the nose gear remained retracted. Consequently, the pilot decided to return to Toledo Aerodrome. After approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes of flight, the aircraft landed with the nose gear retracted. The impact caused substantial damage to the engine, propeller, and fuselage. All five occupants were unharmed.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation revealed significant discrepancies in the aircraft's maintenance records. The engine, propeller, and airframe logbooks lacked the required 1,000-hour inspection, which is the most significant inspection interval for this model; the last recorded entry was for the 500-hour inspection. Furthermore, maintenance logs had not been updated since 2010, and entries in the aircraft logbook were being recorded incompletely, with only copies of service tags being attached to the records.
Additionally, the investigation determined that the aircraft was overweight at the time of landing. The landing weight was 2,129 kg, exceeding the maximum landing weight of 2,047 kg specified for the aircraft type.
Findings
- Inadequate aircraft maintenance
- Deficient management supervision
- Incomplete maintenance documentation and lack of required 1,000-hour inspection records
- Operation of the aircraft above the maximum landing weight