MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL — October 10, 2026. Three Brazilian military police aviators were killed on Friday, October 9, when a Beechcraft 300 Super King Air crashed near Vale do Aço Regional Airport (IPN/SBIP), in the Ipatinga area of Minas Gerais. The aircraft was conducting a periodic pilot proficiency evaluation when the fatal accident occurred.
The aircraft, registration PP-EJO, was operated by the Polícia Militar do Estado de Minas Gerais (PMMG). All three occupants died, and the aircraft was destroyed. The accident occurred near the airport in Santana do Paraíso, in Brazil’s Vale do Aço region.
The Aviators
Brazilian news organizations identified the deceased as Lieutenant Colonel Luis Fernando Silvestre, 49; First Lieutenant Gabriela Emília Soares Lacerda Resende, 35; and First Lieutenant Alice dos Santos Almeida, 34. The three served with the state police aviation command, known as Comave.
Silvestre was commander of the fixed-wing squadron and reportedly had more than 5,000 flight hours. Resende was recognized as the first woman qualified to fly fixed-wing aircraft for the Minas Gerais Military Police. Brazilian reporting indicated that the two lieutenants had accumulated approximately 300 flight hours each.
Flight and Accident Sequence
The Beechcraft departed Carlos Drummond de Andrade Airport (SBBH), also known as Pampulha Airport, in Belo Horizonte, on a flight to Vale do Aço Regional Airport. The aircraft was reportedly engaged in a periodic proficiency recheck involving its pilots.
Preliminary accounts of the final flight sequence differ. The Aviation Safety Network (ASN) reports that the aircraft crashed during a reassessment flight following a go-around, approximately one kilometer short of Runway 05. Other Brazilian reporting describes an initial landing at Vale do Aço followed by another departure before the crash.
The ASN accident record places the occurrence at approximately 4:02 p.m. local time. The available reports do not establish a definitive sequence of maneuvers immediately preceding impact. Investigators must determine the aircraft’s flight path, configuration, operating conditions, and other relevant circumstances.
Aircraft and Operator
PP-EJO was a Beechcraft 300 Super King Air, manufacturer serial number FA-31, built in 1986. The twin-engine turboprop was operated by the Minas Gerais Military Police for official aviation missions.
Brazilian media reported that the aircraft had undergone modernization and maintenance work. The operator indicated that maintenance documentation and pilot qualifications were current. These reported administrative and operational details are not findings concerning the cause of the crash.
Accident Investigation
Brazil’s Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos (CENIPA) is responsible for the aviation safety investigation. Investigative work may include examination of wreckage, operational documentation, maintenance history, weather information, witness accounts, and any available flight data.
A go-around is an established aviation procedure and may be performed for numerous operational reasons. The mention of a go-around in preliminary accident reporting does not, by itself, establish pilot error, mechanical failure, or any other causal factor.
Similarly, the fact that the flight involved a proficiency evaluation does not demonstrate that a training maneuver caused or contributed to the accident. Such determinations require evidence and formal investigative analysis.
Separate Accident Earlier That Day
The fatal King Air accident occurred hours after a separate aircraft crash in Belo Horizonte, also in Minas Gerais. The earlier accident involved a single-engine aircraft and resulted in the death of its sole occupant.
There is no established connection between the two accidents. They are separate occurrences and should not be interpreted as evidence of a common cause or shared operational failure.
Aviation Safety Significance
Proficiency evaluations are intended to maintain and assess the skills necessary for safe aircraft operations. Depending on the approved evaluation program, they may involve approaches, missed approaches, aircraft handling, emergency procedures, and other operational tasks.
Although recurrent evaluations are essential to aviation safety, they remain flight operations subject to the same fundamental requirements for aircraft control, crew coordination, performance management, and risk assessment as any other flight.
The deaths of three experienced public-service aviators represent a significant loss to the Minas Gerais aviation community. The appropriate safety response is a careful examination of verified evidence, without premature attribution of responsibility.
As of October 10, 2026, no definitive cause of the accident has been established in the material reviewed for this report. ASX News will update its coverage when authoritative investigative findings become available.
ASX News extends its condolences to the families, colleagues, and communities of the three aviators.
Sources
G1 Globo — Accident-scene reporting
Paranaíba Mais — Police aircraft crash in Vale do Aço
O TEMPO — Three military police aviators killed
Aviation Safety Network (ASN), accident record for Beechcraft 300 Super King Air PP-EJO, October 9, 2026.
Reporting cutoff: October 10, 2026. Accident circumstances remain preliminary.