Small twin‑engine plane crashes near Navegantes airport, two people injured

A Piper PA‑31T Cheyenne twin‑engine aircraft crashed on the sand‑bar of Meia Praia near the International Airport of Navegantes, Santa Catarina, Brazil, on 6 July 2026 at about 15:00. The plane had taken off from Aeroporto Costa Esmeralda in Porto Belo bound for Curitiba’s Bacacheri airport. The pilot declared a Mayday after reporting a problem with the left engine, and the aircraft descended and impacted the restinga area, leaking fuel and creating a fire‑risk zone.

Emergency crews from the airport’s fire‑fighting section, the local fire brigade, SAMU’s advanced support unit and civil defense responded, rescued the pilot and co‑pilot, and evacuated them to hospitals in Itajaí. The co‑pilot suffered facial injuries; the pilot sustained a suspected traumatic brain injury. All protocols were enacted and airport operations continued. The Regional Investigation Service for Aeronautical Accidents (SERIPA) opened a technical investigation to determine the cause and decide whether the wreckage will be removed.

Authorities have not released further details about the victims’ conditions or the accident’s cause, but a mechanical failure is considered the primary hypothesis.