What happened
On June 12, 1991, an Embraer Emb 721C, registered as PT-EOW, departed from the Água Azul farm airstrip (SNFA) bound for Itaituba, Pará. The flight was carrying three occupants, including the pilot and two passengers. Following takeoff from runway 13, the aircraft was intended to execute a left turn to climb to its cruising altitude. Instead, the aircraft performed a descending right turn, losing altitude until it struck trees in the nearby forest. The impact caused the aircraft to catch fire, resulting in the three fatalities on board and the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The CENIPA investigation established that the aircraft had recently undergone a 50-hour inspection, having flown only 20 hours since that maintenance event. The pilot was described by peers as an experienced and responsible aviator, particularly skilled in flying in the local mining (garimpo) region. At the time of the accident, the pilot's medical certificate was valid, though his commercial pilot license and IFR ratings had expired.
Because the wreckage was inaccessible, investigators could not perform physical examinations on the debris to confirm mechanical failures. The investigation considered several hypotheses for the deviation from the flight path. One possibility was an engine failure, which would have prompted the pilot to seek an emergency landing site, such as the nearby river or the old Cuiú-Cuiú airstrip located to the right of the takeoff axis. Another hypothesis involved sudden physiological incapacitation or spatial disorientation, although the latter was deemed less likely due to the favorable VFR weather conditions and daylight hours.
Findings
- The aircraft performed a descending right turn instead of the required left turn.
- The pilot may have been attempting to reach an emergency landing site due to a potential engine failure.
- The aircraft likely entered a stall condition while attempting to maneuver, leading to the loss of control.
- Possible human factors included sudden physiological incapacitation or spatial disorientation.
- Potential deficiencies in maintenance or mechanical failure could not be ruled out due to the lack of wreckage recovery.