Piper Aircraft PA-25-235 accident near Unai, Br, May 17, 2016
On May 17, 2016 at about 8:30 am local time, a Piper Aircraft PA-25-235, registered PRTAC, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Unai. It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 2016 · about 8:30 am local time
- Place
- Unai, Brazil · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper Aircraft PA-25-235
- Registration
- PRTAC · no longer on the register · serial 25-2847
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 17, 2016, about 0830 local time, a Piper PA-25-235, Brazilian registration PR-TAC, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground while crop dusting near Unaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Brazilian pilot was fatally injured. The local aerial application flight was operating under Brazilian flight regulations. The investigation is under the direction of the government of Brazil. For further information contact: Aeronautical Accident Prevention and Investigation Center Investigation Division SHIS-QI 05-VI COMAR Brasilia-DF, Brazil 71.615-600 Tel: (55-61) 3364-8812 Email: dac.saai@cenipa.aer.mil.br This report is for informational purposes, and only contains information released by the government of Brazil.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
Pilot
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,899 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: Unai
- Destination: Unai
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.