Accident Summary
On an on-demand taxi flight, a twin-engine aircraft departed Curitiba-Afonso Pena Airport at 0850 local time, bound for Rio de Janeiro with four passengers and two pilots on board. After reaching its assigned cruising altitude of 33,000 feet, the crew did not reduce engine power. Approximately 3 minutes and 10 seconds later, the stick puller activated. The aircraft climbed to 33,900 feet before entering an uncontrolled descent. With a rate of descent of 18,000 feet per minute, the aircraft struck a field in a near-vertical attitude. All six occupants were killed.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation reported that the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, several findings were noted. Under human factors, a possible sudden illness affecting one crew member could not be ruled out, and the commander's psychological state was undetermined. Regarding material factors, a possible design deficiency in the pitch trim system was considered, though the aircraft's destruction prevented detailed analysis. Operational factors included deficient instruction for both pilots, who did not receive adequate training to handle the emergency. The crew failed to properly adjust engine power after leveling off and did not lower the landing gear as a standard procedure for overspeed conditions. Cockpit coordination was weak, and the pilots lacked sufficient experience in the Learjet. The air taxi company was found to have provided deficient supervision and rushed training, while the civil aviation oversight was inadequate in detecting training deficiencies.