What happened
On January 12, 2001, at approximately 19:00 local time, a Piper PA-31T, registration PT-OZY, crashed near Água Comprida, Minas Gerais. The aircraft had departed from Goiânia, Goiás, on an IFR flight plan destined for Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo. The flight was carrying the pilot, a co-pilot, and four passengers.
While flying near Uberaba, the aircraft was cruising at flight level 180. After receiving authorization from Brasília Center to descend to level 150, the aircraft disappeared from radar surveillance. Three minutes later, a follow-up instruction from air traffic control went unacknowledged. The aircraft was later discovered on the ground at Fazenda Independência, almost entirely destroyed by fire. All six fatalities (two crew and four passengers) occurred at the scene.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation focused on the crew's qualifications and the flight's regulatory compliance. Investigators found that the pilot in command did not hold a valid IFR rating, and the co-pilot's IFR rating had expired in May 2000. To secure IFR flight plan approval, the crew had used the DAC code of a third-party pilot who was not on board the aircraft.
Engine and propeller inspections revealed that both engines were operational at the time of impact, though they were developing only medium to low power. The investigation also noted that the flight plan had been filed via telephone well in advance, which likely prevented the crew from performing a thorough analysis of the deteriorating meteorological conditions, which included heavy cumulonimbus (CB) formations in the area.
Findings
- Improper Flight Qualifications: The pilot in command was not rated for IFR operations, and the co-pilot was flying with an expired instrument rating.
- Regulatory Non-compliance: The crew engaged in flight indiscipline by using another pilot's DAC code to bypass legal requirements for IFR flight plan approval.
- Adverse Weather: The flight encountered severe weather conditions, including heavy convective activity, which likely contributed to spatial disorientation.
- Poor Decision Making: The crew's decision to proceed with an IFR flight under inadequate qualifications and without proper weather briefing was a primary contributing factor.
- Loss of Control: The aircraft struck the ground in a level, nose-down attitude with no horizontal displacement, indicating a loss of control prior to impact.