What happened
A twin-engine aircraft departed from Macaé Airport at 17:19 local time, bound for Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport. The flight was carrying two pilots and 17 passengers. Shortly after takeoff, the co-pilot opted to cancel the IFR flight plan, transitioning the flight to VFR procedures while maintaining an altitude of 4,500 feet.
As the aircraft approached São Pedro da Aldeia, air traffic control cleared the co-pilot to descend to 2,000 feet to navigate around unfavorable weather. During the approach toward Saquarema, the crew attempted a left turn to maneuver around cloud cover. During this maneuver, at an altitude of 1,920 feet, the aircraft type struck the Pedra Bonita Peak.
The wreckage was located in a heavily forested area approximately six kilometers southeast of Rio Bonito. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft, and there were 19 fatalities among the occupants.
Findings
- The crew performed a turn to avoid clouds.
- The flight was operating under VFR after an IFR flight plan was cancelled.