São Paulo – Rio de Janeiro – Fortaleza

On June 8, 1982 at 02:25 AM, São Paulo – Rio de Janeiro – Fortaleza experienced a crash involving Boeing 727-200, operated by VASP - Viação Aérea de São Paulo, with the event recorded near Fortaleza Ceará.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a mountains crash site.

137 people were known to be on board, 137 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 9, crew fatalities: 9, passengers on board: 128, passenger fatalities: 128, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Following an uneventful flight from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport, the crew initiated a night descent to Fortaleza-Pinto Martins Airport, Ceará. ATC cleared the flight to descent to 5,000 feet and while facing the city lights, the captain descended below the prescribed altitude of 5,000 feet. Despite two altitude alert system warnings and the copilot's warning about mountains ahead, the captain continued to descend until the aircraft struck a wooded mountain located in the Aratanha Mountain Range, some 26 km southwest of the airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 137 occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration PP-SRK, MSN 21347, year of manufacture 1977.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately -3.7478°, -38.4611°.