On June 1, 1973, a Sud-Aviation SE-210 Caravelle (registration PP-PDX) operated by Cruzeiro do Sul was involved in an aviation accident near São Luís-Marechal Cunha Machado, Brazil during landing or approach. 23 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft entered a stall and subsequent right bank after a high nose-up attitude was adopted during a go-around attempt. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft crashed during a missed approach attempt near São Luís, resulting in the loss of all 23 people on board.
What happened
During the final approach phase toward São Luís-Marechal Cunha Machado Airport, the pilot-in-command initiated a go-around procedure while the aircraft was at an altitude of approximately 90 meters. During the subsequent climb, the aircraft type entered a high nose-up attitude which led to an aerodynamic stall. Following the stall, the plane banked toward the right and impacted the ground 760 meters away from the established approach path. The impact resulted in a post-crash fire that completely destroyed the airframe. There were 23 fatalities among the occupants of the flight.
Findings
Investigation into the crash sequence indicates that the aircraft experienced a loss of lift following the pitch-up maneuver. A significant contributing factor noted during the event was that the right engine failed to produce power at the time of impact.
Probable cause
The aircraft entered a stall and subsequent right bank after a high nose-up attitude was adopted during a go-around attempt.