Copacabana Banner Plane Crash Kills Pilot; City Says Campaign Lacked Permit

Overview

• The pilot, identified as Luiz Ricardo Leite de Amorim, was the sole occupant and his body remains at the medical examiner’s office for release.
• The aircraft was a Cessna 170A, registration PT-AGB, operated by Visual Propaganda Aérea, with airworthiness listed as normal in the national registry.
• Rescue teams deployed jet skis, boats, divers, a helicopter, drones, and sonar, recovering the pilot after roughly two to two and a half hours, with no other victims reported.
• Rio’s public order department says the operator lacked authorization for the specific advertising campaign and will be fined, while the company plans wreckage removal and says maintenance and certifications were up to date.
• CENIPA’s regional unit (SERIPA III) has begun the initial probe and the Civil Police are involved, as local officials note it was the pilot’s first day flying with advertising.