The single engine was used to show advertising banners to bathers; the pilot, aged 40, died in the accident
The single-engine plane that carried an advertising banner and of Copacabana, in the south of Rio, on Saturday (Dec 27, 2025), it was removed from the sea this Sunday (Dec 28, 2025).
A tug with a crane removed the single-engine vehicle, which was sent for forensic examination. Cenipa (Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center) is investigating the causes of the accident.
See images of the moment the plane was removed:
Rescue of the plane that crashed in Copacabana, at post 3
— Eugenio felipe (@Eugeniofelipe3)
⚠️WATCH: plane that crashed on Copacabana Beach was removed from the sea this Sunday and will be sent for forensic examination, which will determine the causes of the accident.
Pilot Luiz Ricardo Leite de Amorim, aged 40, the sole occupant of the aircraft, died in the crash.
— BAÚ DO RIO OFC (@baudorio)
Process of removing the wreckage of the single-engine plane that crashed yesterday on Copacabana beach
— Antonio Benvenutti (@ahb_neto)
The plane’s pilot, Luiz Ricardo Leite de Amorim, aged 40, was the only occupant and died. His body at sea about two and a half hours after the fall.
The plane crashed shortly after 12pm, near Posto 3 on Copacabana Beach.
“The Military Fire Department of the State of Rio de Janeiro was called at around 12:34 pm this Saturday [27.dez], for the crash of a small aircraft (ultralight) into the sea, close to Posto 3 on Copacabana Beach. Corporation teams operate on site with all available resources, including jet skis, inflatable boats, a diving team and air support.”firefighters said in a statement on the day of the crash.
Images circulating on social media show the moment of the fall. Watch:
✈️ See the moment the plane crashes in Copacabana
A single-engine plane carrying an advertising banner crashed into the sea in Copacabana, Rio, this Saturday (Dec 27, 2025). Images circulating on social media show the moment of the fall. Rescue operations continue…
— Poder360 (@Poder360)
🌊 from another angle shows plane crash in Rio
— Poder360 (@Poder360)
Other videos were recorded and shared moments after the fall:
The plane crashed into the sea! Damn, how crazy
— Pedro Certezas (@pedrocertezas)
In Copacabana everything happens…
A plane has just crashed into the sea. The propaganda ones. How crazy.
— Rafael Zattar (@ZattarRafael)
