Mamonas Assassinas plane crash in Serra da Cantareira killed all five band members and four crew in March 1996

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Por Luís Henrique Costa · 19/10/2026 às 20h15 · 3 min read

Nine people died on the night of March 2, 1996, when a Learjet 25D carrying the Brazilian band Mamonas Assassinas crashed into the Serra da Cantareira mountain range near Guarulhos, in Greater São Paulo. All five musicians, two members of their support staff, and the two pilots perished in the impact while returning from a concert in Brasília at the height of the group’s national success with its mix of rock, pop, and comedy.

Operated by Madri Táxi Aéreo under registration PT-LSD, the aircraft struck the mountainside at approximately 11:16 PM during its approach to Guarulhos International Airport. Nobody survived the collision, which abruptly ended the trajectory of one of the country’s most popular musical acts.

Lead vocalist Dinho, guitarist Bento Hinoto, bassist Samuel Reoli, keyboardist Júlio Rasec, and drummer Sérgio Reoli were aboard the jet. The crash also claimed the lives of band assistant Isaac “Shurelambers” Souto, security guard Sérgio “Reco” Porto, pilot Jorge Martins, and co-pilot Alberto Takeda.

Flight schedule from Rio Grande do Sul to Brasília

The flight sequence involving the PT-LSD aircraft started a day earlier, on March 1, 1996, when the crew and the group boarded the Madri Táxi Aéreo jet in Caxias do Sul, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, for a series of scheduled stops.

Following the departure from southern Brazil, the plane made an intermediate stop in Piracicaba before flying to Guarulhos on March 2. After landing in Greater São Paulo, the group took off again at 3:00 PM bound for Brasília.

Missed approach procedure at Guarulhos airport

At 9:58 PM that same evening, the musicians and crew boarded the Learjet 25D in Brasília for the final leg back to Guarulhos. Pilot Jorge Martins had already logged 14 hours of flight time over the course of the day when the aircraft neared the São Paulo terminal.

During the landing attempt at Guarulhos International Airport, Martins faced operational difficulties and initiated a go-around maneuver, the standard aviation procedure used when a safe landing cannot be completed. While standard go-around rules generally call for a left turn, air traffic rules for Guarulhos specifically require aircraft to turn right because of the surrounding mountains, an instruction the pilot did not follow.

Smoke sighting by Varig flight and rescue delays in the mountains

Following communication discrepancies between the cockpit and regional flight control, the Learjet hit a mountain in the Serra da Cantareira at 11:16 PM, at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters. Air traffic controllers lost radar and radio contact with the plane immediately after the impact.

A pilot operating Varig Flight 854 provided the first visual confirmation of the crash after spotting a thick, dark column of smoke rising from the mountain range. Ground rescue teams were dispatched to the coordinates but took several hours to reach the wreckage because of the steep, remote terrain, confirming upon arrival that all nine occupants had died.

Findings from the civil and military aviation inquiry

Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency and the Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA, the military body that investigates air crashes) conducted a joint inquiry into the disaster. The official report pointed to a combination of operational and environmental factors that led to the collision during the night approach:

• Pilot exhaustion resulting from an extended flight schedule that had begun on March 1 and totaled 14 hours in the cockpit on the day of the crash.
• Low nighttime visibility combined with insufficient aerial lighting across the Serra da Cantareira mountain sector.
• Loss of communication with the main control tower during the final moments of the flight.
• Relative inexperience on the part of co-pilot Alberto Takeda and a potential mechanical failure in the aircraft.

Musical output and ongoing streaming presence

Through comedic lyrics and high-energy concerts that blended pop and rock, Mamonas Assassinas built a broad audience across all age groups in Brazil during their brief career. Decades after the 1996 crash, the band’s catalog continues to register frequent plays on digital streaming platforms, while their original music videos and documentaries detailing their rapid rise and the Serra da Cantareira accident remain widely watched.

Latest News (EN) Learjet 25D Serra da Cantareira aviation investigation Guarulhos Mamonas Assassinas
Luís Henrique Costa

Luís Henrique Costa é jornalista formado pela FMU, editor-chefe e fundador do Mix Vale, portal de notícias em atividade desde 2011. Responde pela direção editorial do veículo, que cobre Brasil e mundo em economia, benefícios sociais, esportes, tecnologia, ciência e entretenimento. Atua na área há mais de 15 anos e lidera uma equipe de cerca de 15 colaboradores.