What happened
On June 19, 2016, a Pilatus PC-6, registered as DFSCB, departed from the Figueira dos Cavaleiros airfield (LPFC) for a scheduled skydiving mission. The flight was the 17th jump of the day and carried eight people: one pilot, five skydivers, and two passengers participating in tandem jumps. Weather conditions at the time were clear with temperatures near 32°C and winds from 040° at 10 knots.
During the initial climb phase, as the aircraft reached approximately 7,000 feet above mean sea level, occupants reported hearing a sound resembling metal cracking or ripping. Simultaneously, the aircraft experienced a significant nose-up pitch and a rightward yaw, leading to severe instability. The rear section of the fuselage then disintegrated. During the breakup, some individuals were forced against the internal structure before being ejected from the plane.
Several skydivers managed to exit the wreckage and deploy their parachutes successfully. Two individuals sustained serious injuries prior to exiting the aircraft, though their emergency parachutes deployed automatically via barometric mechanisms. The pilot was ejected from the cockpit area and struck the ground approximately 400 meters from the main impact site; he did not deploy a parachute. The remaining aircraft components continued to break apart during descent, leaving debris scattered across an area roughly 1,500 meters long and 500 meters wide, aligned with the flight path.
Findings
The investigation determined that the failure of the HT-trim attachment accessory caused the horizontal stabilizer to become loose and vibrate uncontrollably, which subsequently led to the fracture of the left side of the stabilizer.
Additional contributing factors included:
- An ineffective inspection method used by the maintenance organization regarding critical parts identified in service bulletin SB 53-001 R1.
- Inadequate oversight by the regulatory authority (ANAC) concerning the aircraft operator.