Agua Boa, Brazil: Three people were killed when a small Cessna 402B crashed and caught fire on a rural property near Água Boa in Brazil’s central-western state of Mato Grosso on Thursday, September 10, 2026 according to local authorities. The aircraft was destroyed in the post-impact fire, and investigators are working to establish the circumstances of the crash, the flight’s details and the identities of those onboard.
The aircraft came down at a rural property about 18–20 kilometres from the urban area of Água Boa. Brazilian reports identified the aircraft as a Cessna 402B, manufactured in 1970, with serial number 402B0035. Later reports linked the aircraft to US registration N401NA, although Brazilian records and images from earlier aircraft sales have also shown other registration markings, including PS-WJR and PS-WJU. The registration discrepancy has not been resolved by authorities and should not be treated as proof of an illegal operation.
The aircraft caught fire after the crash and was almost completely destroyed. The Corpo de Bombeiros was called at about 8:50 a.m. local time and used approximately 4,000 litres of water to extinguish the flames. After the fire was brought under control, firefighters found three bodies in the wreckage. The bodies were taken for forensic examination, while the Polícia Civil, Polícia Militar and Perícia Oficial e Identificação Técnica (Politec) worked at the site.
Police initially said the condition of the wreckage made it impossible to identify the victims or determine key details of the flight. Delegado Carlos Alberto, who was handling the occurrence, said: “The state in which the aircraft was found initially made its identification impossible. For this reason, it was not possible, so far, to confirm information about any flight plan, the aircraft’s place of origin or destination, nor the identity of the people who were onboard.”
Later reporting established that three people were onboard, with all three confirmed dead. However, their names have not been officially released in the latest reports reviewed for this update. Earlier reports had used the wording “at least three killed” because authorities had initially been unable to determine the total number of occupants.
The aircraft’s operational purpose and operator also remain unconfirmed. Reports have not established whether it was conducting a private, charter, cargo or other type of flight. Likewise, authorities had not officially confirmed its departure point, intended destination or whether a flight plan had been filed. One local report claimed the aircraft may have departed from an airfield in Goiânia, but that detail has not been independently confirmed by the authorities and should therefore not be presented as established fact.
Brazil’s Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos (CENIPA) was notified and is expected to participate in the complementary investigative work alongside the police and forensic authorities. The cause of the crash has not been determined, and there is currently no confirmed evidence identifying mechanical failure, weather, pilot action or another specific factor as the cause.
Investigators are expected to examine the wreckage, aircraft documentation, registration history, possible flight-plan information and forensic evidence as they establish what happened before the Cessna 402B crashed and caught fire in rural Água Boa.
