12 fatalities

Aircraft 'São Pedro do Rio Grande' Crashes into Cerro Cortelini, Killing 12 (PP-SAA)

São Francisco de Assis, BrazilFlight

On July 30, 1950, a Lockheed 18 LodeStar (registration PP-SAA) operated by Sociedade Anônima Viação Aérea Gaúcha - SAVAG was involved in an aviation accident near São Francisco de Assis, Brazil in flight. 12 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Controlled flight into terrain. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

A twin-engine aircraft named 'São Pedro do Rio Grande' struck Cerro Cortelini while flying in clouds, killing all 12 occupants. The flight was from Porto Alegre to São Borja and included a senator and an aviation founder.

Incident

The twin-engine aircraft departed Porto Alegre at approximately 1100 local time bound for São Borja. The flight was conducted under an IFR flight plan at an altitude of 4,500 feet. A few minutes after departure, the captain requested to continue under VFR when he encountered poor visibility. The aircraft, named 'São Pedro do Rio Grande', was flying in clouds when it struck the slope of Cerro Cortelini near São Francisco de Assis.

Occupants

All 12 occupants were killed in the accident. Among them were Gustavo Ernesto de Carvalho Kraemer, captain and founder of Sociedade Anônima Viação Aérea Gaúcha (SAVAG), and Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho, senator and former Minister of Aviation. They were returning to São Borja after visiting the site of a Panair Constellation crash that had occurred two days earlier.

Probable Cause

The official probable cause of the accident was determined to be controlled flight into terrain.