What happened
On May 29, 1992, an Embraer 120, registration PT-LUS, was operating a flight from SBSP to Curitiba with a scheduled stop in Ponta Grossa. During the approach to runway 07, the crew encountered weather conditions at the IFR minimums, which prevented them from obtaining visual references. The crew initiated a missed approach and decided to execute a circling approach to land on the opposite runway, runway 25.
During this unplanned maneuver, the crew failed to follow the established approach briefing and standard operating procedures. The aircraft subsequently touched down on the runway with its landing gear retracted. Following the impact, the aircraft slid approximately 800 meters along the runway before coming to a complete stop on the left side of the pavement. All 12 occupants—three crew members and nine passengers—evacuated via the emergency exit and were uninjured.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation focused on the mechanical state of the landing gear warning system and the crew's performance during the missed approach. Investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance records and found that the landing gear warning system was inoperative due to an electrical contact failure. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that a replacement relay box used during maintenance was an outdated model that introduced a temporary one-minute inhibition of the warning system after gear retraction.
The investigation also analyzed the cockpit environment, noting that the crew's coordination had degraded following the decision to deviate from the pre-briefed approach plan. The investigation found that the crew's actions during the night visual approach were disorganized and did not adhere to the company's standard procedures.