What happened
On April 6, 1996, a Cessna 182, registration PT-CSB, departed from a mining airstrip at Garimpo Patrocínio, Pará, for Garimpo de Crepurizinho, Pará. The flight took place approximately thirty minutes after sunset, carrying the pilot and two passengers.
During the night flight, the pilot encountered heavy weather formations along the route. Unable to locate the intended destination airstrip, the pilot attempted to return to the departure field, but also failed to find the original runway. After establishing radio contact with another aircraft in the area, the pilot announced an intention to perform a forced landing in the jungle. The aircraft struck trees and was completely destroyed. The impact resulted in one fatality (a passenger) and one serious injury (the pilot), while the second passenger escaped uninjured.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators faced significant challenges due to the accident site being located in a remote, difficult-to-access jungle area. Because of this, no physical wreckage could be recovered for laboratory analysis, and the exact angle of impact could not be determined.
The investigation revealed several critical regulatory and operational failures. The pilot was operating with an expired Commercial Pilot License (CHT) and an expired Medical Certificate (CCF), and lacked the necessary Instrument Rating (IFR) for the conditions encountered. Furthermore, the aircraft was flying with an expired Airworthiness Certificate (CA) and an annual maintenance inspection that had been overdue since February 1994. The flight was also conducted without a filed flight plan, and the departure and arrival strips were uncertified, unlit, and lacked navigational aids. Witnesses also suggested that the aircraft's navigation instruments may have been inoperative at the time of the flight.
Findings
- Deficient planning: The pilot failed to check weather conditions along the route and did not identify alternative, certified landing strips.
- Flight indiscipline: The pilot operated the aircraft with expired licenses and failed to file a flight plan or maintain radio contact with air traffic control.
- Deficient supervision: The operator allowed the aircraft to fly with expired maintenance and airworthiness documentation and permitted an unqualified pilot to operate the flight.
- Adverse weather and environment: Night operations in the jungle, characterized by a lack of visual ground references and heavy cloud formations, likely led to the pilot deviating from the intended route.
- Potential fuel exhaustion: The lack of fire following the impact and the pilot's decision to land in the jungle suggest the aircraft may have been running low on fuel.