The moment a light aircraft ditched into the Cauamé river in northern Brazil on March 25, 2023, was captured in a cockpit video and shared on social media.
The aircraft, a privately-owned twin-engine Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II (registration PR-FDL), was carrying six people, the pilot, three adults and two children, when it experienced trouble with its left engine while flying near the city of Boa Vista, in the state of Roraima, northern Brazil. The pilot then decided to ditch into shallow water next to Curupira Beach.
No one was injured in the incident and all occupants of the aircraft were able to evacuate safely.
In the video footage, which was reportedly posted to social media by some of the passengers, the pilot can be heard asking whether everyone had a safety belt fastened before beginning the ditching maneuver. Following an affirmative answer, the pilot proceeded towards the river.
Another clip shows the aftermath of the ditching, with the aircraft resting on the riverbed while its occupants are standing next to it. “The horse went to drink,” a passenger can be heard saying jokingly.
According to data published on Aviation Safety Network, the aircraft is owned by Aerogreen Aviacao Agricola.
The previous day, another aircraft of the same type also crashed in Brazil. However, the incident on March 24, 2023, resulted in more serious consequences. The aircraft involved was an Embraer EMB-810C Seneca II, registration PT-WHJ, a locally produced version of the Piper aircraft involved in the incident in Roraima.
The aircraft, also privately owned and formerly operated by the Brazilian air force, crashed into a wooded area shortly after take-off from Conceição do Araguaia (CDJ), in the state of Pará, on the southern edge of the Amazon basin.
All five occupants had to be hospitalized, with one sadly dying shortly afterwards. The airframe was destroyed.