The Barra do Garças air disaster was a suicide attack that occurred in Barra do Garças, Mato Grosso, Brazil, on June 1, 1980, when pilot Mauro Milhomem attempted to crash a single-engine aircraft into the Hotel Presidente owned by his mother-in-law, killing six people and himself and wounding four others. This incident is possibly one of the first cases of suicide by pilot in Brazil.
| Barra do Garças air disaster | |
|---|---|
 An Embraer EMB-721C Sertanejo similar to the incident aircraft | |
| Location | Barra do Garças, Mato Grosso, Brazil |
| Date | June 1, 1980 approx. 10:00 a.m. local[1] (UTC-04:00) |
| Target | Hotel Presidente |
Attack type | Attempted suicide attack, suicide by pilot |
| Weapons | The Embraer EMB-721 Sertanejo series single-engine aircraft |
| Deaths |
|
| Injured | 4 |
| Perpetrator | Mauro Milhomem |
Background edit
Prior to the crash, Milhomem had an argument with his wife after he determined that she had been unfaithful to him. Milhomem threatened to crash a plane into the hotel owned by his wife's mother.[2]
Crash edit
On June 1, 1980, Milhomem, a pilot for the air taxi service Táxi Aereo Garapu, flew an Embraer EMB Sertanejo-721 single-engine airplane registered as PT-EGI with four passengers inside it to the Hotel Presidente, where his wife was residing, and attempted to hit the hotel; he failed to control the aircraft and instead hit a tree, several utility poles, and ultimately a two-story building, and finally crashed into an accounting office.[3][2]
In addition to Milhomem, three people died immediately;[2] another died while being transported to Goiânia, and two more died within the two days following the crash. Four people were injured, two seriously, and were treated in a Barra do Garças hospital.[2]
Aftermath edit
Initially, Aldirio Oliveira Vieira, an official of the Brazilian airport authority Infraero, said that the plane had been flying at a low altitude around the building, struck a utility pole with its right wing rupturing its gasoline tank, hit a second pole, and then crashed into an accounting office.[3] It was later determined that the pilot, Milhomem, had attempted unsuccessfully to execute a kamikaze-style attack on the hotel building which his mother-in-law owned.[2]
Milhomem's wife, Angela Milhomem, allegedly committed suicide a few days after the crash.[4]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 234812 - Embraer EMB-721C Sertanejo PT-EGI 01-JUN-1980". Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Morrem feridos no acidente, Folha de S.Paulo (June 5, 1980)
- ^ a b Cinco mortos no choque do "Sertanejo", Folha de S.Paulo (June 3, 1980)
- ^ Mulher se mata depois do marido se suicidar, Tribuna da Imprensa (June 6, 1980)
External links edit
- Acidentes ocorrem mais com aparelhos pequenos, Folha de S.Paulo (May 26, 1982)