Aircraft incident at Santos Dumont causes chaos at airports

A small‑type aircraft skidded off the runway at Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday (27), interrupting operations and creating a cascade of cancellations and delays at several Brazilian airports. The incident made the term "aircraft" one of the most searched online, reflecting public concern and the impact on the national air network.

The incident in Rio de Janeiro

The event occurred at 16:10 on Thursday (27) when a jet, identified as an Embraer Phenom with registration PS‑VEE, skidded during the landing procedure and came to rest on a grassy area of Santos Dumont Airport. On board were the pilot and a crew member, both unharmed. Immediately after the incident, the airport’s Emergency Plan was activated, with fire‑fighter teams providing assistance. Operations at the Rio terminal were suspended, and the runway remained blocked until 23:00 that same day for the aircraft’s removal. Technicians from Cenipa (Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents) were on site to start investigations into the runway excursion.

Immediate impact on the air network

The suspension of operations at Santos Dumont had a significant ripple effect on flights nationwide. On Thursday (27), 71 departures and arrivals at Santos Dumont were cancelled, and another 15 flights were diverted to Galeão Airport, also in Rio de Janeiro. Airports in São Paulo felt the impact as well: Congonhas Airport had 18 departures and 19 arrivals with origin or destination at Santos Dumont cancelled. In Brasília Airport, 10 flights were cancelled on Thursday.

Consequences the following morning

The "cascade effect" of the shutdown extended into Friday morning (28). At least 13 flights were cancelled at Santos Dumont, with repercussions at terminals in Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Guarulhos, Congonhas and Viracopos. Infraero reported that the cancellations occurred because aircraft scheduled to stay on the apron for the first morning flights could not land due to the runway blockage the night before, forcing a reshuffle of the network and passenger reallocation, mainly to Galeão Airport. Brasília Airport, for example, recorded two more cancellations on Friday morning, bringing its total related to the incident to 12.

Aircraft details and investigation

The aircraft involved, an Embraer Phenom with registration PS‑VEE – E50P, is registered to VEE One Manutenção e Serviços Ltda., a company based in Campinas (SP) that specializes in aircraft maintenance. Data from the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) indicate that the plane is not authorized to operate air‑taxi services, regular commercial flights, or specialized air services. Cenipa’s investigation continues to determine the exact causes of the incident.

Recommendations for passengers

Given the instability of the air network, airport operators such as Aena (Congonhas) and GRU Airport (Guarulhos) advised all passengers with scheduled trips to contact their airlines to check the status of their flights. Many travelers faced inconveniences, including doctor and businessman Heron Zini, whose flight from São Paulo to Rio was cancelled, causing him to miss appointments and forcing him to reschedule his return trip.

With information from Folha de S.Paulo, Estadão, G1.