Cessna Citation CJ1+ Overruns Runway in Brazil, Killing Pilot

A Cessna Citation CJ1, registered as PR-GFS, landing at Brazil's Ubatuba Gastão Madeira State Airport (SDUB) on January 9 overran Runway 9’s boundary, collided with a fence, and burst into flames. The light twinjet came to rest on a beach, as shown in videos posted to social media by bystanders.

The pilot died in the accident, while three of the four passengers onboard suffered serious injuries and one suffered minor injuries; one person on the ground received serious injuries and another suffered minor injuries, according to a preliminary report by Brazil’s CENIPA.

“The aircraft took off from Mineiros Aerodrome (SWME)…bound for [SDUB] at approximately 11:20 a.m. (UTC) in order to carry out a private flight, with one crewmember and four passengers on board,” the report states. “During landing, the aircraft exceeded the longitudinal limit of the runway and collided with the fence that limited the airport site, coming to a final stop outside the aerodrome area.”

CJ1+ data published by Textron Aviation indicates takeoff and landing distances of 3,260 feet and 2,590 feet, respectively. The runway at SDUB is 3,084 feet long (940 meters), but according to AIP data the first 1,247 feet (380 meters) of Runway 9 is closed, leaving only about 1,837 feet of non-displaced runway available for landing.

Textron’s landing distance figures appear to include a pilot and three passengers and achieved under standard temperature and pressure and dry surface conditions. Videos of the accident indicate that Ubatuba’s runway was wet when PR-GFS attempted its landing. The investigation by CENIPA is ongoing and the agency stated in its preliminary report that “once the investigation is concluded, the final report will be published on the CENIPA website.”