PEC Aviation

PEC Aviation is a Brazilian aviation operator specializing in air taxi, charter, cargo, and air ambulance services. The company was founded in 2004 by aviation and healthcare-industry professionals and initially operated a Piper Arrow on scheduled cargo flights between Macapá and Oiapoque. Its early activity reflected the logistical difficulties of operating in remote parts of Brazil, including a shortage of prepared runways and limited access to aviation fuel suitable for larger aircraft. The company subsequently developed a particular role in medical evacuation. PEC became the first operator to certify the Piper Seneca and equivalent Embraer aircraft for Medevac operations in its operating context, allowing the aircraft to be used for patient transportation and emergency medical missions. This capability formed part of the company’s broader air ambulance offering and differentiated it from operators focused solely on executive charter or cargo work. In 2007, PEC moved its headquarters to Santa Genoveva Airport in Goiânia. The location offered a relatively central position within Brazil and supported the company’s charter, medical, and operational activities. Goiânia also provided access to regional aviation infrastructure and connections to destinations across the country. PEC Aviation operates a small turboprop fleet consisting of three Beechcraft King Air C90B aircraft and two Cessna Grand Caravan C208B aircraft, according to the available reference material. The King Air aircraft are associated with executive, charter, and medical transport missions, while the Grand Caravan is suited to utility, regional passenger, cargo, and short-field operations. The company’s business model is therefore based on flexible on-demand aviation rather than scheduled mass-market airline service. Milton Arantes Costa, the company’s founder and current chief executive, has also been involved in Brazilian aviation-sector advocacy. He is identified as the founding president of the Brazilian Association of Air Taxis and as a member of the consulting council of Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency. Through these activities, PEC’s leadership has been associated with broader discussion of air-taxi operators, authorized aircraft repair organizations, and the development of Brazilian general and regional aviation. PEC Aviation received extensive public attention after an accident on 5 November 2021 involving one of its Beechcraft King Air aircraft. The aircraft, registered PT-ONJ, was operating a charter flight from Goiânia to Ubaporanga. During final approach, it struck high-voltage cables and crashed near a waterfall approximately four kilometres from the airport, in the municipality of Piedade de Caratinga. All five occupants died, including two crew members and three passengers. One of the passengers was Brazilian singer Marília Mendonça, who was travelling to a concert in Caratinga. The accident investigation attributed the crash to pilot error and noted that the power lines had reportedly created a landing hazard that pilots had encountered previously. The incident remains the most prominent publicly documented event associated with the company. PEC Aviation is best understood as a specialist Brazilian on-demand aviation brand rather than a conventional scheduled passenger airline. Its identifiable operating pillars are air taxi and charter transportation, air ambulance and Medevac missions, regional cargo work, and aircraft operations suited to locations where runway and infrastructure conditions can be challenging.

PEC Aviation was established in Brazil in 2004 by aviation and healthcare professionals. Its first operation used a Piper Arrow for daily cargo flights between Macapá and Oiapoque. The route and aircraft choice reflected the practical conditions facing aviation operators in remote Brazilian areas, where prepared runways were limited and jet fuel was not consistently available. The company expanded beyond cargo into medical evacuation and air ambulance work. PEC certified the Piper Seneca and equivalent Embraer aircraft for Medevac missions, creating an operating capability focused on the movement of patients and medical cases in areas where road transport or larger aircraft could be impractical. This specialization became an important part of the company’s identity alongside air taxi and charter services. In 2007, PEC transferred its headquarters to Santa Genoveva Airport in Goiânia. Goiânia’s central location within Brazil gave the company a suitable base for nationwide and regional on-demand operations. From there, the operator continued to serve charter, medical, cargo, and utility aviation requirements. The available description identifies PEC’s fleet as three Beechcraft King Air C90B aircraft and two Cessna Grand Caravan C208B aircraft. These turboprops support the company’s flexible operating model. King Air aircraft can be used for executive charter, passenger transport, and medical missions, while the Grand Caravan platform is suitable for regional passenger, cargo, and short-field utility work. The company’s founder and chief executive is Captain Milton Arantes Costa. In addition to managing PEC Aviation, he has been active in Brazilian aviation policy and industry representation. He is identified as the founding president of the Brazilian Association of Air Taxis and as a member of the consulting council of Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency. PEC Aviation became internationally and nationally prominent following the fatal crash of a company King Air on 5 November 2021. The aircraft was conducting a charter flight from Goiânia to Ubaporanga and crashed during final approach near Piedade de Caratinga after contacting high-voltage cables. The five people aboard, including two crew members and three passengers, were killed. Passenger Marília Mendonça, a well-known Brazilian singer travelling for a concert in Caratinga, was among the victims. The investigation concluded that pilot error caused the accident and also documented the role of the power lines, which had reportedly affected previous landing operations. The company is otherwise documented primarily as a specialized Brazilian air taxi and air ambulance operator. Publicly available material provides limited information about its ownership, financial performance, route network, formal subsidiaries, or later fleet changes.

• 2021

  Fatal King Air accident near Caratinga

  [1]PEC Aviationen.wikipedia.org

  A PEC Aviation Beechcraft King Air crashes during approach to Ubaporanga after striking power lines, killing all five people aboard.

• 2007

  Headquarters move to Goiânia

  [1]PEC Aviationen.wikipedia.org

  PEC relocates its headquarters to Santa Genoveva Airport in Goiânia, using the airport’s central Brazilian location as its operating base.

• 2004

  PEC Aviation is founded

  [1]PEC Aviationen.wikipedia.org

  PEC Aviation begins operations in Brazil as an air taxi and aviation services company, initially using a Piper Arrow for daily cargo flights between Macapá and Oiapoque.

• 2004

  Early cargo operations begin

  [1]PEC Aviationen.wikipedia.org

  The company starts with regional cargo flying in an environment characterized by limited prepared runways and constrained jet-fuel availability.

• 2004

  Medevac aircraft certification

  [1]PEC Aviationen.wikipedia.org

  PEC becomes the first company identified in the reference material to certify Piper Seneca and equivalent Embraer aircraft for Medevac operations.

A flexible Brazilian on-demand aviation operator combining air taxi, charter, air ambulance, Medevac, cargo, and utility missions, with experience serving regions where airport infrastructure and fuel availability can be restrictive.

• Passenger aviation · 2004

  Air taxi and charter services

  PEC Aviation provides on-demand air transportation rather than operating as a conventional scheduled airline. Its charter activity uses small turboprop aircraft for passenger movements, executive travel, and regional missions. The model allows the operator to serve destinations and itineraries that may not be covered by scheduled carriers, with aircraft selected according to passenger, runway, and mission requirements.

• Medical aviation · 2004

  Air ambulance and Medevac

  Medical evacuation is a defining element of PEC’s operating profile. The company developed certification for Piper Seneca and equivalent Embraer aircraft in Medevac roles, supporting the movement of patients and medical cases by air. These services are particularly relevant in Brazil’s geographically dispersed regions, where road journeys can be lengthy and airport infrastructure may favor smaller aircraft.

• Cargo aviation · 2004

  Regional cargo and utility flights

  PEC began with daily cargo flying between Macapá and Oiapoque using a Piper Arrow. Its utility-oriented operation is suited to regional logistics, short-field environments, and missions requiring aircraft with flexible payload and runway characteristics. The company’s Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft are compatible with this type of regional cargo and utility work.

• Aircraft fleet

  Beechcraft King Air C90B fleet

  PEC is reported to operate three Beechcraft King Air C90B aircraft. The twin-turboprop platform supports passenger charter, executive travel, air ambulance, and other specialized missions requiring greater range and speed than a single-engine utility aircraft.

• Aircraft fleet

  Cessna Grand Caravan C208B fleet

  PEC is reported to operate two Cessna Grand Caravan C208B aircraft. The aircraft’s utility configuration is appropriate for regional passenger service, cargo, medical transport, and operations from smaller or less-developed airfields.

1. 1PEC Aviationen.wikipedia.org