What happened
On April 5, 2002, at approximately 07:00 local time, an EMB 201-A Ipanema, registration PT-GUU, was performing agricultural spraying operations over a sugarcane field near Maceió, Alagoas. During the fourth spray pass, the pilot attempted a maneuver known as a "balão" (a turn to return to the spray line). During this maneuver, the left wingtip struck a high-voltage power line.
The impact caused the aircraft to lose control and enter a near-inverted state. Although the pilot managed to prevent a complete roll, the aircraft struck the ground, causing the main landing gear to break. The collision with the electrical wires ignited a fire that spread through the aircraft as it slid approximately 100 meters across the terrain. The pilot managed to evacuate the wreckage with minor injuries, but the aircraft was completely destroyed.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation focused on the circumstances leading to the collision and the operational environment. Investigators found that the pilot did not perform a prior ground reconnaissance of the area to identify obstacles, a practice the pilot admitted was bypassed due to overconfidence in his experience. Additionally, the sun was positioned directly in the pilot's line of sight (on the bow) during the maneuver, which significantly degraded visibility of the wires.
Regarding the aircraft, investigators noted several regulatory irregularities. The PT-GUU was operating with an expired Certificate of Airworthiness, and maintenance logs were outdated. While these maintenance issues were not determined to be the direct cause of the collision, the lack of oversight regarding maintenance intervals was noted as a systemic failure in company supervision.
Findings
- Excessive self-confidence: The pilot's overconfidence led him to skip the essential task of identifying obstacles through area reconnaissance.
- Inadequate flight planning: The mission planning failed to include a procedure for identifying hazards like power lines.
- Environmental factors: The position of the sun hindered the visual detection of the unmarked high-voltage wires.
- Lack of supervision: The operator failed to implement adequate controls to ensure area reconnaissance and to monitor the validity of pilot licenses and aircraft airworthiness.
Safety action
Following the investigation, several safety recommendations were issued:
- To agricultural companies: Pilots should be instructed to perform ground reconnaissance of spray areas, increase vigilance when flying toward the sun, and use personal protective equipment (PPE) such as helmets.
- To the operator (SEMEAR Aviação Agrícola): The company was directed to notify local utility companies (CEAL) of their flight activities to facilitate the installation of visible markers on power lines, and to implement stricter controls over pilot medical certificates and aircraft maintenance logs.