Twin-Engine Aircraft Crash Near Rio Bonito (PT-FSE)

Flight Details and Departure The twin-engine aircraft departed Macaé Airport at 1719 local time on a flight to Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport. The aircraft carried 17 passengers and two pilots. Shortly after departure, the copilot cancelled the instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan and continued the flight under visual flight rules (VFR) at an altitude of 4,500 feet. ## Approach and Collision While approaching São Pedro da Aldeia, the copilot received clearance to descend to 2,000 feet to avoid poor weather conditions. Later, while approaching Saquarema, the crew initiated a left turn to avoid clouds. At an altitude of 1,920 feet, the aircraft struck Pedra Bonita Peak. The wreckage was located six kilometers southeast of Rio Bonito in a dense wooded area. The aircraft was totally destroyed, and all 19 occupants were killed. ## Official Findings The official investigation determined the probable cause was controlled flight into terrain after the crew decided to continue under VFR mode in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Contributing factors included overconfidence by the captain, who was familiar with the area, and an organizational culture described as complacent. The investigation also cited inadequate assessment of the situation by the crew, unsuitable use of human resources due to failure to comply with operational standards, and inadequate flight preparation, including the lack of a meteorological analysis for the appropriate level of flight. Prevailing weather conditions made visual flight impossible and concealed the elevation at which the aircraft crashed. The pilots intentionally did not comply with air traffic and civil aviation rules, flying at low altitude under visibility below VFR limits. The company was found to have not taken appropriate supervisory measures, enabling a culture of undeveloped flight safety and failure of some educational measures provided in its Plan for the Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (PPAA).