What happened
On October 29, 1996, a single-engine BE-35, registration PT-BRJ, departed from Amambai, Mato Grosso do Sul, bound for Londrina, Paraná. Approximately ten minutes before reaching its destination, the aircraft suffered an engine failure. The pilot attempted an emergency landing at the Arapongas runway in Paraná, but the approach was unsuccessful. The aircraft struck a plowed field approximately 2.3 km from the intended runway.
The impact occurred in a pre-stall condition with the landing gear extended and flaps set to 10 degrees. The aircraft struck the terrain perpendicularly to the furrows of the plowed field, causing a sudden deceleration. The impact resulted in severe injuries to the pilot and the two passengers, and the aircraft sustained heavy damage, including a buckled fuselage, broken landing gear, and a damaged engine and propeller.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation established that the engine failure was caused by the exhaustion of fuel in the right tank. At the time of the accident, the fuel selector was set to the right tank, which was completely empty, while the left tank still contained approximately 80 liters of fuel. The investigation found that the pilot had performed a superficial fuel calculation before takeoff, estimating fuel levels by looking into the filler necks rather than using precise methods. Furthermore, the pilot had planned the entire flight using only the right tank, neglecting to balance the weight between the wings as required by the aircraft manual.
The investigation also revealed that the pilot was operating with an expired medical certificate and an expired single-engine rating. Although the pilot had 800 total flight hours, only 40 of those were in the BE-35, and no specific transition training had been conducted for this model. Additionally, the pilot failed to attempt a restart of the engine following the failure and incorrectly configured the aircraft for landing by extending the gear and flaps at 2,000 feet, which compromised the glide profile.
Findings
- Fuel exhaustion in the right tank due to improper flight planning and failure to switch tanks.
- Inadequate pilot training and lack of familiarity with the BE-35 emergency procedures.
- Improper emergency configuration, specifically extending the landing gear and flaps too early, which led to the unsuccessful approach.
- Human factors, including a psychological attitude of invulnerability and disregard for operational procedures.
- Lack of safety equipment, as the aircraft was not equipped with shoulder harnesses, which contributed to the severity of the head injuries sustained during the sudden deceleration.